4-

*rf

I

**k.

/<

BR1TI SH ZOOIiO&X .

CliASS III. REPTILES

IV. FISH

jvr.

Printed for Beirj. "White,

MDCCLXXVI.

BRITISH ZOOLOGY.

t

VOL. Ill

Class III. REPTILES.

IV. F I S H.

WARRINGTON:

PRINTED BY WILLIAM EYRES,

FOR BENJAMIN WHITE, AT HORACE'S HEAP,

FLEET-STREET, LONDON.

MDCCLXXVI,

PLATES

T O

BRITISH ZOOLOGY,

VOL. III. OCTAVO.

Plates^

RO NT IS PIECE, Roach, to face the Title I. Coriaceous Tortoise - Page 7 C II. Brown Lizard? Scaly Lizard J

III. Warty Lizard - — 23

IV. Viper - *1

Blind Worm > - -26

Ringed Snake J

V. Explanation of Technical Terms 46

VI. Blunt-headed Cachalot - - 61

VII. Teeth of Cetaceous Fish - 62

VIII. Lam pries - - 7 6

IX. Skate - - - 82

X. Electric Ray - . - 89

XL Thornback - "93

XII. Thornback-Underside - ^3

* XII. Angel Shark - 98

XIII. Basking Shark - - 101

XIV. Long-tailed Shark - no XV. Greater and Lesser Spotted

Sharks

XVI. Smooth Shark - II6

Vol. III. a XVIL

PL A T E S.

Plates.

XVII.

Beaumaris Shark

- Page

n8

XVIII.

Common Angler

-

I20

XIX.

Oblong DiodonI

Short Diodon /*

-

124

Sturgeon J

XX.

Globe Diodon

_

132

XXI.

Lump Sucker 7 Unctuous Sucker S

-

*33

XXII.

Bimaculated Suckef

} -

137

Jura Sucker

XXIII.

Pipe Fish

-

13B

XXIV.

Wolf Fish

I51

XXV.

Morris 7 Launce >

-

i56

XXVI.

Sword Fish

-

160

XXVII.

Dragonet

-

164

XXVIII.

Dragonet 7 Common Weever S

-

167

XXIX.

Greater Weever

_

171

XXX.

Poor i Bib S

-

184

XXXI.

Forked Hake ) Coal Fish *

.

186

XXXII.

Trifurcated Hake

-

196

XXXIII.

Five-bearded Cod

} -

201

Three-bearded Cod

XXXIV.

Torsk

-

203

XXXV.

Gattorugine 1

Crested Blenny r

-

206

Spotted Blenny -J

XXXVL

PLATES.

Plates.

XXXVI.

XXXVII.

XXXVIII. XXXIX.

XL, XLI.

XLII.

XLIII.

XLIV.

XLV.

XLVI.

XLVII.

XLVIII.

XLIX.

L.

LL

LII

LIII.

LIV,

LV

LVI

Smooth Blenny - Page Viviparous Blenny? Spotted Goby S

Black Goby

Armed Bullhead -i River B jllhead J Father Lasher - Smear Dab / Doree i

Lunulated Gilt HeadI Opah j

Toothed Gilt Head Ballan

Striped Wrasse - Gibbous Wrasse - 1 Trimaculated Wrasse) Comber Wrasse Antient Wrasse

GOLDSINNY

Perch - "> Sea Perch \

Basse

Sticklebacks -

Scad - 7

Mackrel 3

Tunny

Striped Surmullet , Grey Gurnard - . Piper . Sapphirine Gurnard

2o3 211

- 213

- 2l6

- 2l8

- 221

- 223

- 243

- 246

- 249

- 25O

■\

25I

254

257 26l

264

266

274 276 279 280

LVH.

PLATES.

Plates.

LVII. Red Gurnard 7

Streaked Gurnard $ Page *Sl LVIII. Salmon 7

Loche S LIX. Samlet

Trout

LX. Charr - ^ joe LXL Grayling 7

Smelt £ ^

LXII. Gwiniad - - 316

!

- 282

- 297

} -

LXIIL Pike

Sea Pike LXIV. Saury LXV. Argentine

Atherine LXVI. Mullet Parr LXVII. Flying Fish

Anchovy LXVIII. Pilchard Herring LXIX. White Bait

Shad LXX. Carp

Bream

LXXI. Bareel • - 357

LXXII. Crusian 7

Ruo { ' " ^

LXXIII. Chub ?

Bleak i ' " *6i

1

" 32°

- 3*5

- 327

- 329

- 333

• 335

- 348 " 353

CLASS III.

REPTILES.

All the works of the L^rd are good, and he will give every needful thing in due feafon.

So that a man cannot fay tuis is worfe than that, for in time they fhall all be well approved.

ECCLESIASTICUS XXXIX. ^ 34.

Vol. III. B

REPTILES

WE are now to confider the clafs of Reptiles, which are, for the moil part, objects of deteftation ; but however the opinion of the world may be, if a writer undertakes a general hiftory of animals, he mud include them : they form at left one link in the chain of beings, and may therefore be viewed with a degree of pleafure by a philofophic eye.

But notwithftanding the prejudice againft this clafs is almoft univerfal, is it founded on reafon ? In fome it may be owned that the outward form is difagreeable, while the noxious qualities of others are juftly productive of terror : but are we on that account to reject them ? The more fatal they are, the more deeply we fhould enquire into their effects, that we may be capable of relieving thofe who are fufferers, and fecure ethers from the fame misfortune. But if we duly weigh their noxious qualities, we mall, with our moral poet, find

£ All partial evil univerfal good. "

B 2 The

4- REPTILES.

The teeth of wild beafts, and of ferpents, are not only created as inftruments of vengeance, but are falutary in leffening the numbers of thofe ani- mals which are highly ufeful in the degree, and only hurtful in their excefs ; but if therr bad qua- lities are ferviceable, we are more indebted to their good ones than we chufe to acknowlege.

But many of the animals that form this clafs are of immediate benefit to mankind. The Turtle, or Sea-Tortoife, fupplies the torrid zone with a wholefome and delicious food, as the epicures of our own country can atteft. Frogs are a food in feveral parts, as Lizards and Serpents are in others.

The medicinal virtues of the Viper are partly exploded by the moderns, but time, the over- thrower of fyftems, as well as empires, may reftore it to the rank it held with the antients. The La- eerta Scincus is, however, yet efteemed in the Eaft for its falubrious qualities, and even Toads have contributed to the eafe of patients in the moil in- veterate of all difeafes.

Had I followed Linnaus^ and included the Car- tilaginous Fifti in this clafs, there would have been ample room for panegyric, for it is very doubtful whether any are pernicious*, but the ufe of many, either as food or for mechanical pur- pofes, were never queftioned.

But if the external figure of the reptile tribe is difgufting, they have one general beauty, an apt configuration of parts for their way of life, nor

arc

REPTILES.

are they deftitute of their peculiar graces : the fine difpofition of plates in the fhell of the Tortoife, with the elegant fymmetry of their colors, muft ftrike even common obfervers, while the eye of the defpifed Toad has a luftre denied to more pleafing forms. The frolicfome agility of Lizards enlivens the dried banks in hot climates ; and the great affection which ibme of them ihew to man- kind, mould farther engage our regard and attention.

The wreathing of the fnake, with the vivid die of its fkin, are certainly graceful, tho' from the dread of fome particular fpecies which are venem- ous, we have acquired an antipathy for the whole. The antients, who confidered the Serpent as an emblem of health, could afibciate pleafing ideas with this animal. We therefore find it an orna- ment at every entertainment, and in every fcene of mirth, both in painting and in fculpture. Virgil adopted this notion, and has accordingly defcribed it with every beauty both of form and color,

Adytis cum lubricus anguis ab mis Sept em ingens gyros, feptena volumina traxit -> Amplexus placide tumulum, lapfufque per aras : Ccerultea cm terga nota^ maculofus et auro Squamam incendebat fulgor -, ceu nubibus arms Milk trahit varios adverfo file color es.

V. 84.

B 3 From

6 REPTILES.

From the deep tomb, with many a mining fold, An azure ferpent rofe, in fcales that flam'd with gold : Like heaven's bright bow his varying beauties fhone That draws a thoufand colors from the fun : Pleas'd round the altars and the tomb to wind, His glittering length of volumes trails behind.

Pitt.

But if after all fome lively writer mould pur- fue the Naturalifts with more wit than argument, and more humor than good-nature, it mould be endured with patience. Ridicule is, however, not the teft of truth, tho' when joined to fatyr, it fel- dom fails of feducing the many who would rather laugh than think. Should this prove the cafe in the prefent inftance, let the author be allowed to fkreen himfelf from cenfure, by faying he writes not to the many, but the few ; to thofe alone who tan examine the parts with a view to the whole % and who fcorn to defpife even the moft deformed, or the moft minute work of an all-wife Creator.

GENERA.

I. TORTOISE.

H. FRO G.

III. LIZARD.

IV. SERPENT.

El I

COHIATEOITS TORTOISE

III.

REPTILES.

Body covered either with a fhell or ftrono; hide, L '

7 to ' TORTOISE.

divided by futures.; four fin-like feet ; a fhort tail.

Teitudo coriacea five Mercu- ticis, tefta coriacea, cauda i. Coriace-

rii. Rondel. 450? Gefner angulis feptem exaratis. ous.

pifc. 946 ? Lin. fyfi. 350.

Teitudo coriacea ? Teftudo Turtle. Borlafe Cornwall,

pedibus pinniformibus mu- 285. Plate 27.

THIS fpecies is common to the Medi- terranean, and to our fouthern feas, and is not, as far as we know, dis- covered in any other.

Two were taken on the coaft of Cornwall in the mackrel nets, of a vail: fize, a little after Mid/urn- mer 1756; the largeft weighed eight hundred pounds, the ierTer near feven hundred. A third, of equal weight with the firft, was caught on the

B 4 coaft

CORIACEOUS TORTOISE. Class III.

coaft of Dorfetjhire^ and depofited in the Leverian Mufeum.

The length of the body is four feet ten inches y of the head nine inches and a half j of the neck three; or of the whole five feet twelve. The upper jaw bifurcated at the end : the extremity of the lower fharp, clafping into the fork of the up- per. The noftrils fmall and round.

The breadth of the body in the largeft part is three feet. The length of the fore fins two feet feven : of the hind thirteen inches and a half: are fmooth, grow pointed to the extremity, and are deftitute of toes. Thefe fins are (tufted : perhaps the bones might have been taken out ; for in the figure given by Rondeletius, which agrees in all other refpecls with this fpecies, there is appearance of toes, and even nails. -

The body is covered with a ftrong hide, ex- actly reiembling black leather, deftitute of fcales, but marked with the appearance. The back is di- vided into five longitudinal fiutings or grooves, with as many fharp but fmooth rifings.

This fpecies is faid to be extremely fat : . but the fiefh coarfe and bad *, according to the report made by writers who had opportunity of tailing them in the Mediterranean fea. I am informed that the Carthifians will eat no other than this fpecies.

* Ronddetius, Bojfuet,

Body

Class III. COMMON FROG

Body naked. H.

PR Of

Four legs, the feet divided into toes. No tail.

U«t^x®". Arift. Hiji. an. Waffer Frofche. Meyer an. I. 2. Common,

Lib. IV. c. 9.' Fab. 52-

La Grenoille. Belon poij/bns, Rana temporaria- R. dorfo

,g# planiufculo fubangulato.

Rana fiuviorum. Rondel. 21 7. Lin.fyft. 357.

Ranaaquaticainnoxia. G^/w*/* Groda, Fro, Klafla. F«o»*

2««^. e<z/z>. 46. ^^//7 $*»• No- 102.

g0-# Rana. Gronov. Zoopb. No.

Rana aquatica. Raiifyn. quad. 02. 447-

SO common and well-known an animal re- quires no defcription ; but fome of its pro- perties are fo fingular, that we cannot pafs them unnoticed.

Its fpring or power of taking large leaps is re- markably great, and it is the befl fwimmer of all four-footed animals. Nature hath finely adapted its parts for thofe ends, the fore members of the body being very lightly made, the hind legs and thighs very long, and furnifhed .with very itrong mufcles.

While in a tadpole ftate, it is entirely a water animal \ the work of generation is performed in that element, as may be feen in every pond during

fpring 1

TION.

SO COMMON FROG. Class HE

fpring; when the female remains opprefled by the male for a number of days. ^^ERA" The work of propagation is extremely fingular, it being certain that the frog has not a penis intrans ; there appears a ftrong analogy in this cafe between a certain clafs of the vegetable kingdom and thofe animals ; for it is well known, that when the female frog depofits its fpawn, the male inftan- taneouily impregnates it with what we may call a farina fcecundans^ in the fame manner as the male Palm tree conveys fructification to the flow- ers of the female, which would othei'wife be bar-

ren*.

As foon as the frogs are releafed from their tad- pole (late, they immediately take to land •, and if the weather has been hot, and there fall any re- freftiing mowers, you may fee the ground for a confiderable fpace perfectly blackened by myriads of thefe animalcules, feeking for fome fecure lurk- ing places. Some philofophers -f- not giving them- felves time to examine into this phenomenon, ima- gined them to have been generated in the clouds, and fhowered on the earth ; but had they, like our Derham%> but traced them to the next pool, they would have found a better folution of the difficulty.

As frogs adhere clofely to the backs of their own fpecies, fo we know they will do the fame by fifh : Walton § mentions a ftrange ftory of their deftroy-

* Shaw's Travels, 224. HaJJelquiJl Trav. Engl. Ed. 416. f Rondtletius, 216. War mil Muf. 327. X Ray1* Wifdom Great. 316. % Complete Angler, 161.

ing

Class III. COMMON FROG. n

ing pike ; but that they will injure, if not entirely kill carp, is a fact indifputable, from the following relation : a very few years ago, on fifliing a pond belonging to Mr. P/V, of Encomb^ DorfetJhire9 great numbers of the carp were found each with a frog mounted on it, the hind legs clinging to the back, the fore legs fixed in the corner of eacli eye of the fifh, which were thirs and greatly waited, teized by carrying fo difagreeable a load. Thefe frogs we imagine to have been males difappointed of a mate.

The croaking of frogs is well known, and from that in fenny countries they are diftinguifhed by ludicrous titles, thus they are (tiled Dutch Nightin- gales and B oft on IVaites ; even the Stygian frogs have not efcaped notice, for Ariftophanes hath gone farther, and formed a chorus of them.

AlfAVcilJt xgyvuv TSHVCC '

Brekekex, coax, coax, Brekekex, coax, coax, The offspring of the pools and fountains.

Yet there is a time of year when they be- Per iodic as come mute, neither croaking nor opening their mouths for a whole month : this happens in the hot feafon, and that is in many places known

* Comedy of the Frogs,

to

IZ COMMON FROG. Class III.

to the country people by the name of the Paddock Moon, I am informed that for that period, their months are fo clofed, that no force (without kil- ling the animal) will be capable of opening them.

Morton* endeavours to find a reafon for their filence, but tho' his facts are true, he is unfortu- nate in his philofophy. Frogs are certainly endued (as he well obferv^d) with a power of living a good while under water without refpiration, which is owing to their lungs being compofed of a feries of bladders: but he miftakes the nature of air, when he affirms that they receive a quantity of cool air, and dare not open their mouths for a month, from a dread of admitting a warmer into their lungs. It is hardly necefTary to fay, that in what- ever ftate the air was received, it would affirftilate itfelf to the external atmofphere in a fhort time. We muft leave the fa£t to be accounted for by farther experiments. But from what we do know, we may partly vindicate 'Tbeophraftus, and other antients, about the filence of the frogs at Seriphus. That philofopher affirms it, but afcribes it to the coldnefs of the waters in that ifland : Now when Monfieur tfournefort was there, the waters were lukewarm, and the frogs had recovered their voices f. Is it not probable that Theophrajlus might be at Seriphus at that feafon when the frogs were mute, and having never obferved it elfewhere,

* Hijl, Northampt. 441. f Tourneforfs voj, I. 142.

might

Class III. EDIBLE FROG. 13

might conclude their filence to be general as to the time, but particular as to the place. JElzan*, who quotes Theophraftus for the lad paflage, afcribes the fame filence to, the frogs of the lake Pier us in Tbejfaly, and about Cyrene in Africa : but he is fo uncertain a writer, that we cannot affirm whether the fpecies of the African frogs is the fame with ours.

Thefe, as well as other reptiles, feed but a Food. fmall fpace of the year. The food of this genus is flies, infects, and fnails. Toads are faid to feed alfo on bees, and to do great injury to thofe ufeful infects.

During winter frogs and toads remain in a tor- pid date : the laft of which will dig into the earth, and cover themfelves with almoft the fame agility as the mole.

Rana gibbofa. Gefner pifc. R. corpore angulato, dorfo 3* Edible,

809. tranfverfe gib bo, abdomine

Rana efculenta. Lin. fyfi. marginato. Ibid* 357. Faun. Suec. No. 279.

>T*HIS differs from the former in having a

•*• high protuberance in the middle of the back,

forming a very fharp angle. Its colors are allc*

more vivid, and its marks more diftinctj the ground

* MiM) lib, HI, cb, 35, 37.

color

14 TO A D. Class III.

color being a pale or yellowifh green, marked with rows of black fpots from the head to the rump.

This and, we think, the former, are eaten. We have feen in the markets at Paris whole ham- pers full, which the venders were preparing for the table, by fkinning and cutting off the fore- parts, die loins and legs only being kept. Our flrong diflike to thefe reptils, prevented a clofe ex- amination into the fpecies.

Toad. 3>£w@r. Arifi. Hiji. an. lib. Bufo rubetaruai. Klein quad.

ix. c. I. 40. 122.

Bufo Virg. Georg. I. 184. Rana Bufo. R. corpore

Rubeta. Plin. lib. VIII. c, ventricofo, verrucofo lurido

31. fufcoque. Lin. fyfi. 354.

Rubeta. fc. Phrynum. Gefner Parida, TaiTa. Faun. J'uec.

pifc. 807. Rondel, 222. No. 275.

Bufo five Rtibeta. Rati fyn. Gronov. Zooph. No. 64.

quad. 252.

'"JpHE mod deformed and hideous of all ani- •*> mals; the body broad, the back flat, and covered with a pimply dufky hide \ the belly large, fwagging, and fwelling out; the legs fhort, and its pace labored and crawling : its retreat gloomy and filthy : in fhort, its general appearance is fuch as to ftrike one with difguft and horror \ yet we have been told by thofe who have refolution to view it with attention, that its eyes are fine : to this it

feems

Class III. TOAD. 15

ieems that Shake/pear alludes, when he makes his Juliet remark,

Some fay the lark and loathed .toad change eyes.

As if they would have been better bellowed on fo charming a fongfter than on this raucous reptile.

But the hideous appearance of the toad is fuch as to make this one advantageous feature over- looked, and to have rendered it in all ages an object of horor, and the origin of moft tremendous inven- tions. JElian * makes its venom fo potent, that Bafilijk-Wk^ it conveyed death by its very look and breath ; but Juvenal is content with making the Roman ladies, who were weary of their hufbands, form a potion from its intrails -f, in order to get rid of the good man.

Occurrit Matrona potens, quae molle Calenum Porrettura viro mifcet fitiente rubetara. Sat. I. 68.

To quench the hufband's parching thirft, is brought

By the great Dame, a moft deceitful draught ;

In rich Calenian wine fhe does infufe,

(To eafe his pains) the toad's envenom'd juice.

This .opinion begat others of a more dreadful nature ; for in after-times fuperftition gave it pre- ternatural powers, and made it a principal ingre- dient in the incantations of nocturnal hags :

* Htji, an, lib. ix. c. II.

-f Sat, v\. 658, Vide Milan Uifl% an, lib, xvii. c. 12. and 15.

Toa4

*6 T O A t). Class III.

Toad that under the cold ftone, Days and nights has, thirty-one, Svvelter'd venom fleeping got, Boil thou, firfi i'th' charmed pot.

We know by the poet that this charm was in- tended for a defign of the firft confideration, that of raifing the dead from their repofe, and bringing before the eyes of Macbeth a hateful fecond-fight of the profperity of Banquets line.

This fhews the mighty powers attributed to this animal by the dealers in the magic art; but the powers our poet indues it with, are far fuperior to thofe that Gefner afcribes to it : Shake/pear's witches ufed it to difturb the dead •, Gefner's^ only to dill the living, Ut vim coeundi mfallor, in viris toller ent *. Toad- We may add here another fuperftition in refpect.

to this animal : it was believed by fome old writers to have a ftone in its head, fraught with great virtues medical and magical: it was diftinguifhed by the name of the Reptile, and called the Toad- Stone, Bufonites, Crapaudine, Krottenftein f ; but all its fancied powers vanifhed on the difcovery of its being nothing but the foflil tooth of the fea-wolf, or of fome flat-toothed fifh, not unfrequent in our ifland, as well as feveral other countries \ but we may well excufe this tale, fince Shake/pear has ex- traded from it a fimile of uncommon beauty :

* Hiji. quad, o-vip. J 2,

f Boet. de Boot, de Lap, et Gem, 301. 303.

Sweet

STONE,

Class III. TOAD. 17

Sv/eet are the ufes of adverfity,

Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,

Wears yet a precious jewel in his head.

But thefe fables have been long exploded : we fhall now return to the notion of its being a poi- ibnous animal, and deliver, as our opinion, that its excefiive deformity, joined to the faculty it has of emitting a juice from its pimples, and a dufky liquid from its hind parts, is the foundation of the report.

That it has any noxious qualities we have been unable to bring proofs in the fmallefl: degree fa- tisfactory, though we have heard many ftrange re- lations on that point.

On the contrary, we know feveral of our friends who have taken them in their naked hands, and held them long without receiving the left injury: It is alio well known that quacks have eaten them, Not Poison. and have befides fqueezed their juices into a glafs, and drank them with impunity.

We may fay alfo, that thefe reptiles are a com- mon food to many animals ; to buzzards, owls, Norfolk plovers, ducks, and fnakes, who would not touch them were they in any degree noxious.

So far from having venomous qualities, they have of late been confidered as if they had beneficent ones. We wifh, for the benefit of mankind, that we could make a favorable report of the many at- tempts of late to cure the moft terrible of difeafes

Vol. III. C the

ous.

TION.

TOAD. Class III.

the cancer, by the application of live toads ; but, alas, they feem only to have rendered a horrible complaint more loathfome. My enquiries on this fubjecl:, and fome further particulars relating to the hiftory of this animal, may be found in the Ap- pendix.

In a word, we may confider the toad as an animal that has neither good nor harm in. it ; that being a defencelefs creature, nature had furnifhed it, inftead of arms, with a mod difgufting defor- mity, that ftrikes into almoft every being capable of annoying it, a ftrong repugnancy to meddle with fo hideous and threatening an appearance. Genera- The time of their propagation is very early in the fpring : at that feafon the females are feen crawling about opprefTed by the males, who con- tinue on them for fome hours, and adhere fo faft as to tear the very fkin from the parts they (tick to. They fpawn like frogs -, but what is fingular, the male affords the female obftetrical aid, in a manner that will be defcribed in the Appendix.

To conclude this account with the marvellous, this animal is faid to have often been found in the mid ft of folid rocks, and even in the centre of growing trees, impriibned in a fmall hollow, to which there was not the lead adit or entrance * : how the animal breathed, or how it fubfifted (fup- pofing the pofiibility of its confinement) is paft

* Plot's Hifi. Staff. 247.

our

Class III. NATTER JACK. 19

our comprehenfion. Plofs * folution of this phe- nomenon is far from fatisfactory •, yet as we have the great Bacon's f authority for the face, we do not entirely deny our affent to it.

RanaRubeta? Lin. fyfl. 355. obtufo fubtus punftato. 5- Natter

Faun. Suec. No. 101. Ibid. JACK-

R. corpore verrucofo, ano

THIS fpecies frequents dry and fandy places: it is found on Putney Common, and alfo near Revejby Abby, LincGlnJIoire, where it is called the Natter Jack. It never leaps, neither does it crawl with the flow pace of a toad, but its motion is liker to running. Several are found commonly- together, and, like others of the genus, they ap- pear in the evenings.

The upper part of the body is of a dirty yel- low, clouded with brown, and covered with po- rous pimples, of unequal fizes : on the back is a yellow line.

The upper fide of the body is of a paler hue, marked with black fpots, which are rather rough.

On the fore feet are four divided toes -9 on the hind five, a little webbed.

The length of the body is two inches and a quar-

* P. 249.

f Nat. Hiji. Cent. vi. Exp. 570.

C 2 ter;

2C G R E A T F R O G. Class III.

ter ; the breadth, one and a quarter : the length of the fore legs one inch one-fixth ; of the hind legs, two inches.

We are indebted to Jofeph Banks, Efq; for this account.

6. Great. TNHABITS the woods near Loch Ran/a, in the A Ifle of Arran.

Is double the fize of the common frog: the body fquare : belly great : legs fhort : four toes on the fore-feet, four and a thumb to the hind ; the fecond outmoft toe the longeft. The color above, is a dirty olive, marked with great warty fpots; the head alone plain. The color beneath whitifh.

It leaped flowly.

Slender

1^

Class III. SCALY LIZARD.

zx

Slender naked body : four legs : Divided toes on each : Very long tail.

III. LIZARD.

Lacertus terreftris lutea fqua- mofa anglica. Rail fyn. quad. 264.

Plott's Hifi. Staff. 252. tab. 22.

Lacerta agilis ? L. cauda ver- ticillata longiufcula fquamis acutis,collarifubtus fquamis conftru&o. Lin, Jyft. 363.

Odla, Fyrfot. Faun. Suec. 7. Scaly. No. 284.

Lacerta, Gronov. Zoopb. No. 60.

Little Brown Lizard. Edw. 225.

Padzher pou. Borlafe Corn- wall, 284. tab. 28.

THOSE we have feen differ in color, but agree in all other refpecls with the fpecies defcribed by Doclor Plot. Their length from the nofe to the hind-legs was three inches * from thence to the end of the tail three and three quar- ters.

Along the back was a black lift ; each fide of that a brown one : then fucceeded a narrow ftripe, fpotted alternately yellow and brown ; beneath that a broad black one; thofe ended a little beyond the hind-legs. The belly was yellow, and the fcales large but even. The fcales on the back fmall ; on the tail the ends projected : thofe on the latter were varied with black and brown.

C3 The

2 SCALY LIZARD. Class III.

The legs and feet were dufky ; on each foot were five toes, furnifhed with claws.

This fpecies is extremely nimble : in hot weather it bafks on the fides of dry banks, or of old trees ; but on being obferved immediately retreats to its hole.

The food of this fpecies, as of all the other Englijh lizards, is infects : they themfelves of birds of prey. Each of our lizards are perfectly harm- lefs ; yet their form is what ftrikes one with dif- guit, and has occafioned great obfcurity in their hillory. Othfr Related to this fpecies is the Guernfey lizard,

which we are informed has been propagated in England from fome originally brought from that ifland. We have alfo heard of a green lizard frequent near Farnham^ which probably may be of that kind : but the mod uncommon fpecies we ever met with any account of, is that which was killed near F/ofcot^ in the parifh of Swinford, Worcefter- Jhire, in 1741, which was two feet fix inches long, and four inches in girth. The fore-legs were pla- ced eight inches from the head ; the hind-legs five inches beyond thofe: the legs two inches long: the feet divided into four toes, each furnifhed with a fharp claw. Another was killed at Penbury, in the fame county. Whether thefe are not of exotic defcent, and whether the breed continues, is what we are at prefent uninformed of.

Lacertus

3H^.

I M

-:-.:

Class III. WARTY LIZARD. t$

Lacertus aquaticus. Gefner Lin. fyft. 370. S. Wart^

quad. o<vip. 31. Skrot-abborre, Gruffgrabbe.

Salamandra aquatica. Rati Faun. Suec. No. 281.

Jyn. quad. 273. Lacerta Americana. Seb. Mu/l

Lacerta paluftris. L. Cauda I. tab. 89. fig. 4, 5.

lanceolata mediocri, pedibus Salamandra alepidota vcrruco-

muticis palmis tetrada&ylis. fa. Gronoqj. Zoopb. No. 47.

THE length of this fpecies was fix inches and an half, of which the tail was three and a quarter.

The irides yellow : the head and beginning of the back flat, and covered with fmall pimples or warts, of a dark dulky color $ the fides with white ones : the belly, and the fide of the tail, was of a bright yellow ; the firft fpotted with black.

The tail was compreffed fideways, and very thin towards the upper edge, and (lender towards the end.

The fore-feet divided into four toes ; the hind into five -, all without nails, duiky fpotted with yellow.

Its pace is flow and crawling.

This fpecies we have frequently feen in the (late we defcribe, but are uncertain whether we ever met with it under the form of a larve. We have more than once found under ftones and old logs, fome very minute young lizards that had rauch the appearance of this kind : they were

C 4 perfectly

24 BROWN LIZARD. Class III;

perfectly formed, and had not the lead veftiges of fins; fo that circumftance, joined to their being found in a dry place, remote from water, makes us imagine them to have never been inhabitants of that element, as it is certain many of our lizards are in their firft ftate.

At that period they have a fin above and below their tail ; that on the upper part extends along the back as far as the head, but both drop off as foon as the animal takes to the land, being then no longer of any ufe.

Befides thefe circumftances that attend them in form of a larve, Mr. Ellis * has remarked certain pennated fins at the gills of one very common in mod of our (lagnating waters, and which is fre- quently obferved to take a bait like a fifh.

9. Brown. Lacertus vulg. terreftris ven- culatis, palmis tetrada&ylis,

tre tiigro maculate Rail dorfo linea duplici fufca.

Jyn. quad. 264. Lin. Jyfi. 370. Faun. Suec.

L. vulgaris. L. cauda tere- No. 283. ti mediocri, pedibus ungui-

T HIS is three inches long: the body (lender; the tail long, (lightly comprefTed, fmall and taper-, that and the upper part of the body of a pale brown, marked on each fide the back with a

* Phil Tran. Vol. LVI. P. 191.

narrow

Class III. ANGUINE LIZARD. 25

narrow black line reaching to the end of the tail : the belly of a pale yellow, marked with fmall duf- ky fpbts •, the toes formed like thofe of the prece-

ding.

Lacertus parvus terreftiis fufcus oppido rams. Raii Jyn. 10. Little. quad. 264.

THIS fpecies is mentioned by Mr. Ray in his lift of the Englijh lizards, without any other defcription than is comprehended in the fynonym.

Lacertus terreilris anguiformis in ericetis. Raii Jyn. quad. 264. 11. An- guine,

WE remain alfo in the iameobfcurity in refpect* to this fpecies. It feems to be of that kind which connecls the ferpent and lizard genus, hav- ing a long and very (lender body, and very fmall legs. Such are the Seps9 or Lacerta Chalcidica of Raii Jyn. quad. 272, the Lacerta anguina of Linnaeus, 371, or that figured by Seba9 torn. ii. tab. 6$. un- der the name of Vermis ferpentifofmis.

Long

Z6 VIPER. Class III.

,*Y.* Long and flender bodies, covered with fcaly plates SERPENT. ^T *? ' J *

No feet.

12. Viper. "E%js. Ariji. Hifi, an. Mb. iii- tab. 28.

c. 1. Coluber Berus. Lin fyfi. 377.

Vipera. Virg. Georg. iii. 417. Huggorm Faun. Suec. No.

Plinii, lib. x. c. 42. 286. C. Berus fcutis ab-

Vipera. Gefner Serp. 71. dom. 146. fquamis caudse.

Viper, or Adder. ^*w7 Jyn. 39. /W.

^W. 285. Borl. Corn. 282. Amcen. Acad. I, 527.

VIPERS are found in many parts of this ifiand, but the dry, ftony, and, in particular, the chalky countries abound with them. They fwarm in many of the Hebrides.

They are viviparous, not but that they are hatch- ed from an internal egg \ being of that clafs of animals, of whofe generation Ariftotle* fays,

Ev CtVTQl$ flEV &0OTOXEI TO T&MOV OJOV, E^CO 3s %<t)QT0KHf I- e. They

conceive a perfect egg within, but bring forth their young alive.

Providence is extremely kind in making this fpe- cies far from being prolific, we having never heard of more than eleven eggs being found in one viper, and thofe are as if chained together, and each about the fize of a blackbird's egg.

» De Gen. an. Lib. III. f. 2.

two

Class HI. VIPER.

27

The viper grows feldom to a greater length than two feet-, though once we faw a female (which is nearly a third larger than the male) which was al- moft three feet long.

The ground-color of this ferpent is a dirty yel- Descrip. low ; that of the female deeper. Its back is marked the whole length with a feries of rhomboid black fpots, touching each other at the points ; the fides with triangular ones ; the belly entirely black.

There is a variety wholly black -y but the rhom- boid marks are very confpicuous even in this, being of a deeper and more glofly hue than the reft. Petiver calls it the Viper a Anglica Nigricans, Pet. Muf. No. 204 *.

The head of the viper is inflated, which diftin- guifhes it from the common fnake. The tongue forked \ the teeth fmall ; the four canine teeth are Teeth placed two on each fide the upper jaw : thefe in- ftruments of poifon are long, crooked, and move- able, and can be raifed and deprefTed at pleafure ; they are hollow from near the point to their bale, near which is a gland that fecretes, prepares, and lodges the poifon ; and the fame action that gives the wounds, forces from this gland, through the tooth, the fatal juice into it.

Thefe iQands may be particularly thankful for the bleiTing they enjoy, in being poiTelTed of only

* Coluber Preiler. Lin.fyft. 377. Bote. Faun. Suec, No. 287.

one

sS VIPER. Class III:

one venomous animal, and that of a kind which encreafes fo little.

They copulate in May, and are fuppofed to be about three months before they bring forth.

They are faid not to arrive at their full growth in lefs than fix or feven years ; but that they are capable of engendering at two or three.

We have been often afTured by intelligent people of the truth of a fact mentioned by Sir 'Thomas Brown*, who was far from a credulous writer, that the young of the viper, when terrified, will run down the throat of the parent, and feek fhel- ter in its belly in the fame manner as the young of the oppojfum retire into the ventral pouch of the old one.

From this fome have imagined that the viper is fo unnatural as to devour its own young-, we dif- Food. believe the fact, it being well known that the food of thefe ferpents is frogs, toads, lizards, mice, and, according to Doctor Mead, even an animal fo large as a mole. Thefe they fwallow entire-, which, if we confider the narrownefs of their neck, fhews it is capable of a diftenfion hardly credible, had we not ocular proofs of the fact.

It is alfo faid, from good authority, that they will prey on young birds -, whether on fuch as nettle on the ground, or whether they climb up trees for them as the Indian ferpents do, we are quite un-

* Vulgar errors, 114.

certain j

Class III. VIPER.

certain ; but we are well allured that this difco- very is far from a recent one :

Ut ajjidens hnplumihus pullis avis Set pentium allapfus timet *.

Thus, for its young the anxious bird The gliding ferpent fears.

The viper is capable of fupporting very long abftinence, it being known that fome have been kept in a box fix months without food, yet did not abate of their vivacity. They feed only a fmall part of the year, but never during their con- finement •, for if mice, their favorite diet, mould at that time be thrown into their box, tho' they will kill, yet they never will eat them.

The poifon decreafes in violence in proportion to the length of their confinement : it muft be alfo added, the virtues of its flefh (whatfoever they be) are at the fame time confiderably leffened.

Thefe animals, when at liberty, remain torpid throughout the winter ; yet when confined have never been obferved to take their annual repofe.

The method of catching them is by putting a cleft flick on or near their head \ after which they are feized by the tail, and put infcantly into a bag.

The viper-catchers are very frequently bit by them in the purfuit of their bufinefs, yet we very

9 Her. Epod. I.

rarely

29

p VIPER. Class III.

rarely hear of the bite being fatal. The remedy, if applied in time, is very certain, and is nothing elfe but fallad oil, which the viper- catchers feldom go without. The axungia viperitia, or the fat of vipers, is alfo another. Doctor Mead fufpects the efficacy of this lad, and fubftitutes one of his own in its place*-, but we had rather trull: to vul- gar receipts which perpetual trials have fhewn to be infallible.

The fymptoms of the venom, if the wound is neglected, are very terrible : it firfl caufes an a- cute pain in the place affected, attended with a fwelling, firft red, afterwards livid, which by de- grees fpreads to the neighboring parts ; great faint- nefs, and a quick tho' low and interrupted pulfe enfue ; great ficknefs at the ftomach, bilious convulfive vomitings, cold fweats, and fometimes pains about the navel; and in confequence of thefe, death itfelf. But the violence of the fymp- toms depends much on the feafon of the year, the difference of the climate, the fize or rage of the animal, or the depth or fituation of the wound.

Dreadful as the effects of its bite may be, yet its ftefh has been long celebrated as a noble medi- Uses. cine. Doctor Mead cites from Pliny, Galen, and other antients, feveral proofs of its efficacy in the cure of ulcers, the elephantiafis, and other bad com- plaints. He even fays he has feen good effects

* JEJfay on Poi/ons, 47.

from

Class III. VIPER. 3!

from ft in an obftinate lepra : it is at prefent ufed as a reftorative, tho' we think the modern phy- ficians have no great dependence on its virtues. The antients prefer ibed it boiled, and to be eaten as fifh •, for when frefh, the medicine was much more likely to take efFccl than when dried, and given in form of a powder or troche. Mr. Kev/ler relates that Sir Kenelm Digby ufed to feed his wife, who was a molt beautiful woman, with capons fat- tened with the flefh of vipers.

The antient Britons had a ftrange fuperftition in refpect to tbefe animals, and of which there {till remains in Wales a ftrong tradition. The account Pliny gives of it is as follows: we mail not at- tempt a tranflation, it being already done to our hands in a fpirited manner by the ingenious Mr. Mafon, which we (hall take the liberty of bor-

rowing.

Pr^terea eft ovorum genus in magna Galliarum fama, omijjum G rase is. Angues innumeri reflate con- volutin falivis faucium corporumque fpumis artifici complexu glomeraniur ; anguinum appellatur. Dru- id ae fibilis id dicunt in fublime jaffari, f ago que op or- tere intercipi, ne tellurem atiingat : profugere rapto- rem equo : ferpentes enim infequi, donee arceantur am- nis alicujus interventu *.

* Lib. XXIX. <•. 3,

But

32 VIPER. Class III.

But tell me yet From the grot of charms and fpells, Where our matron filler dwells, Brennusy has thy holy hand Safely brought the Druid wand, And the potent Adder --Jione, Gender'd 'fore the autumnal moon ? When in undulating twine, The foaming fnakes prolific join ; When they hifs, and when they bear Their wond'rous egg aloof in air ; Thence before to earth it fall, The Druid in his hallow'd pall. Receives the prize, And inflant flies,

Follow'd by the envenom'd brood, 'Till he crofs the cryftal flood *.

This wondrous egg feems to be nothing more than a bead of glafs, ufed by the Druids as a charm to impofe on the vulgar, whom they taught to believe, that the pofTeiTor would be fortunate in all his attempts, and that it would gain him the favor of the great.

Our modern Bruidejfes give much the fame ac- count of the ovum anguinum> Glain Neidr, as the Welch call it, or the Adder '-Gem, as the Roman philofopher does, but feem not to have fo exalt- ed an opinion of its powers, ufing it only to afiift children in cutting their teeth, or to cure the chin- cough, or to drive away an ague.

* Ma/on's Caraftacus. The perfon fpeafcing is a Druid.

We

Class III

SNAKE,

We have fome of thefe beads in our cabinet: they are made of glafs, and of a very rich blue co- lor -, fome are plain, others ftreaked : we fay no- thing of the figure, as the annexed plate will con- vey a ftronger idea of it than words.

33

EwSjj/j. Arijl. Hijl. an. I.

c. I. Natrix torquata, Gefner Ser-

peni. 63. Natrix torquata. Rati Jyn.

quad, 334. Anguis vulgaris fufcus collo

flaveicente, ventre albis ma-

culis diftin&us. Pet. Muf. 13. Rince&>

XVII. No. 101. Coluber natrix. Lin.fyft. 380* Tomt-Orm, Snok, Ring-Orm.

Faun. Suec. No. 288. C. natrix fcutis abdom. 170.

Squamis caudas, 60. Ibid,

THE fnake is the largeft of the Englijh fef- pents, fometimes exceeding four feet in length : the neck is flender -, the middle of the Vol. III. D bodv

34 SNAKE. Class III.

body thickeft; the back and fides covered with fmall fcales, the belly with oblong, narrow, tranf- verfe plates. The firft Linnaus diftinguifhes by the name of fquama, the laft he calls fcuta> and from them forms his genera of ferpents.

Thofe that have bothfquam^e and fcuta he calls Colubri\ thofe that have only fquama^ Angues. The viper and fnake are comprehended in the firft genus, the blind- worm under the fecond -, but we chufe (to avoid multiplying our genera) to take in the few ferpents we have by a fingle genus, their marks being too evident to be confounded. Descrip, The color of the back and fides of the fnake

are dufky or brown ; the middle of the back marked with two rows of fmall black fpots run- ning from head to tail ; and from them are multi- tudes of lines of fpots croiTing the fides •, the plates on the belly are duiky, the fcales on the fides of a bluilli white.

On each fide the neck is a fpot of pale yellow, and the bafe of each is a triangular black fpot, one angle of which points towards the tail.

The teeth are fmall and ferrated, lying each fide the jaw in two rows.

This fpecies is perfectly inoffenfive ; it frequents, and lodges itfelf among bullies in moift places, and will readily take the water, fwimming very well.

It preys on frogs, infects, worm?, and mice, ; and, considering the fmallnefs of the neck, it is a- mazing how large an animal it wall fwallow. i

* The

Class III. BLIND- WO R M. 35

The fnake is oviparous: it lays its eggs in Eggs. dung-hills, and in hot-beds, whofe heat, aided by that of the fun, promotes the exclufion of the young.

During winter it lies torpid in banks of hedges, and under old trees.

Anguis Eryx. Lin. fyfi. 392. 14. Aber-

A new Snake. Tour in Scot/. 1769. App. deen.

LENGTH fifteen inches. Tongue broad and forked. Noftrils fmall, round, and placed near the tip of the nofe. Eyes lodged in oblong fiflures above the angle of the mouth. Belly of a bluifh lead color, marked with fmall white fpots irregularly difpoled. The reft of the body of a greyifli brown, with three longitudinal dufky lines, one extending from the head along the back to the point of the tail; the others broader, and extending the whole length of the fides. It had no fcuta ; but was entirely covered with fmall fcales ; largeft on the upper part of the head.

Inhabits Aberdeen/hire. Communicated to me by the late Doctor David Skene.

D 2 The

36 BLIND-WORM, Class III.

15. Blind- The Blind-worm, or flow- Long Cripple. Borlafe Cornw.

WORM. worm, Ca •cilia Typhline 284. tat. 28.

Gratis. Raii fyn. quad. Anguis fragilis. Lin. fyjl.

289. Grezv's Muf. 48. 392.

Caecilia anglica cinerea fqua- Ormfla, Koppar-Orm. Faun,

mis parvis mollibus, com- Suec. 289.

padtis. Pet. Muf. xvii. No. A. fragilis fquamis abdomi-

102. nis caudseque, 135. Ibid.

Descrip. rir^HE ufual length of this fpecies is eleven

-L inches : the irides are red -9 the head fmall ♦,

the neck flill more flender; from that part the

body grows fuddenly, and continues of an equal

bulk to the tail, which ends quite blunt.

The color of the back is cinereous, marked with very fmall lines compofed of minute black fpecks ; the fides are of a reddifh caft ; the belly dufky, both marked like the back.

The tongue is broad and forky -, the teeth mi- nute, but numerous ; the fcales fmall.

The motion of this ferpent is flow, from which, and from the fmallnefs of the eyes, are derived its names. Like Others of the genus, they lie torpid during winter, and are fometimes found in vaft numbers twitted together.

Like the former it is quite innocent. Doctor Borlafe mentions a variety of this ferpent with a pointed tail -, and adds, that he was informed that a man loll his life by the bite of one in Oxford/hire.

We

Class III. BLIND-WORM.

We are inclined to think that his informant mif- took the black or dufky viper for this kind ; for, excepting the viper, we never could learn that there was any fort of poifonous ferpent in thefe kingdoms.

In Sweden is a fmall reddifh ferpent, called there Afpingi the Coluber Cherfea of Linnaeus, whofe bite is faid to be mortal. Is it poflible that this could be the fpecies which has hitherto efcaped the no- tice of our naturalifts ? I the rather fufpect it, as I have been informed, that there is a fmall fnake that lurks in the low grounds of Galloway y which bites and often proves fatal to the inhabitants.

37

D 3 CLASS

CLASS IV.

FISH

Oh Beus ! ampla tu<e, quamfunt mir acuta dextr<e!

O quam folerti fingula mente regis! Bivite tu gazd terras^ et mejfibus imples ;

Nee minus eft vafti fertilis unda maris : Squammiger hunc peragrat populus^ prolefque parentum

Stipat) et ingentes turba minuta duces.

JONSTON. PSALMUS CIV.

r> +

I S H.

Div. I. CETACEOUS FISH.

NO gills ; an orifice on the top of the head, thro' which they breathe, and eject water •, a flat or horizontal tail ; exemplified in the explana- tory plate, fig. i. by the Beaked Whale, bor- rowed from Bale's Hijl. Harw. 411. Tab. 14.

GENERA.

I. WHALE.

II. CACHALOT.

III. DOLPHIN.

Div. II. CARTILAGINOUS FISH.

BREATHING thro' certain apertures, gene- rally placed on each fide the neck, but in fome inftances beneath, in fome above, and from one to feven in number on each part, except in the Pipe Fish, which has only one.

The mufcles fupported by cartilages, inftead of bones.

Explan. PL fig. 2. the Picked Dog Fish.

a. The lateral apertures.

IV. LAM-

42

H.

IV.

LAMPREY.

V.

SKATE.

VI.

SHARK.

VII.

FISHING FROG

viii.

STURGEON.

IX.

SUN FISH.

X.

LUMP FISH.

XI.

PIPE FISH.

D i v. III. BONY FISH.

THIS divifion includes thofe whofe mufcles are fupported by bones or fpines, which breathe thro' gills covered or guarded by thin bony plates, open on the fide, and dilatable by means of a certain row of bones on their lower part each feparated by a thin web, which bones are called the Radii Branchiojlegi, or the Gillcovering Rays.

The tails of all the fifti that form this divifi- on, are placed in a fituation perpendicular to the body, and this is an invariable character.

The later Idthyologifts have attempted to make the number of the branchioftegous rays a character of the genera ; but I found (yet too late in fome inftances, where I yielded an implicit faith) that •their rule was very fallible, and had induced me into error j but as I borrowed other definitions, it is to be hoped the explanation of the genera will be intelligible. I fhould be very difmgenu-

ou s,

F IS H.

ous, if I did not own my obligations in this re- fpect to the works of Artedi, Dr. Gronovius, and Linn^us.

It is from the laft I have copied the great fe&ions of the Bony Fish into

Apodal, Jugular,

Thoracic, Abdominal*.

He founds this fyftem on a comparifon of the ventral fins to the feet of land animals or reptiles ; and either from the want of them, or their particu- lar fituation in refpedt to the other fins, eftablifhes his fections.

In order to render them perfectly intelligible, it is neceiTary to refer to thofe feveral organs of movement, and fome other parts, in a perfect fifh, or one taken out of the three laft fections.

The Hadock. Expl. PI. fig. 4.

a. The pectoral fins.

b. ventral fins.

c. anal fins.

d. caudal fin, or the tail.

e. e. e. dorfal fins.

/. bony plates that cover the gills.

g. branchioftegous rays, and their mem-

branes. h. lateral, or fide line.

* Vide Syft. Nat. 422.

Sect.

43

44

H.

S e c t. I. APODAL.

THE mod imperfect, wanting the ventral fins ; illuft rated by the Conger, fig. 3, This alfo exprefTes the union of the dorfal and anal fins with the tail, as is found in fome few fifh.

Xlf. EEL.

XIIL WOLF FISH.

XIV. LAUNCE.

XV. MORRIS.

XVI. SWORD FISH.

S e c t. II. JUGULAR.

T

HE ventral fins #, placed before the pecto- ral fins a, as in the Hadock, fig* 4.

XVII. DRAGONET.

XVIII. W E E V E R.

XIX. CODFISH.

XX. B L E N N Y.

Sect.

H.

Sect. III. THORACIC.

THE ventral fins *, placed beneath the pecto- ral fins b9 as in the Father Lasher, fig- 5-

XXI. GOBY.

XXII. BULL-HEAD.

XXIII. DOREE.

XXIV. FLOUNDER.

XXV. GILT-HEAD.

XXVI. WRASSE.

XXVII. PERCH.

XXVIII. STICKLEBACK.

XXIX. M A C K R E L.

XXX. SURMULLET.

XXXI. GURNARD.

45

Sect.

46 F I S H.

S e c t. IV. ABDOMINAL.

THE ventral fins placed behind the pero- ral fins, as in the Minow, fig. 6.

XXXII.

LOCHE.

XXXIII.

SALMON.

XXXIV.

PIKE.

XXXV.

ARGENTINE.

XXXVI.

ATHERINE.

XXXVII.

MULLET.

XXXVIII.

FLYING FISH.

XXXIX.

HERRING.

XL,

CARP.

Div

Class IV. CETACEOUS FISH. 47

D 1 v. I. CETACEOUS FISH.

NATURE on this tribe hath beftowed an internal ftru&ure in all reipecls agreeing with that of quadrupeds ; and in a few other the external parts in both are fimilar.

Cetaceous Fifh, like land animals, breathe by means of lungs, being deftitute of gills. This obliges them to rife frequently to the furface of the water to refpire, to deep on the furface, as. well as to perform feveral other functions.

They have the power of uttering founds, fuch as bellowing and making other noifes, a faculty denied to genuine rim *,

Like land animals they have warm blood, are furnifhed with organs of generation, copulate, bring forth, and fuckle their young, (hewing a ftrong at- tachment to them.

Their bodies beneath the fkin are entirely fur- rounded with a thick layer of fat (blubber) ana- logous to the lard on hogs.

The number of their fins never exceeds three3

* Pontop, Hifi. Nor<w. II. 123. Blafius AnaU Animal, 288.

viz*

48

CETACEOUS FISH. Class IV,

viz. two peroral fins, and one back fin j but in fome fpecies the laft is wanting.

Their tails are placed horizontally or fiat in re- fpect to their bodies -9 contrary to the direction of thole of all other fifh, which have them in a per- pendicular fite. This fituation of the tail enables them to force themfelves fuddenly to the furface of the water to breathe, which they are fo frequently conftrained to do.

Many of thefe circumftances induced Linnaus to place this tribe among his Mammalia, or what other writers ftyle quadrupeds.

To have preferved the chain ' of beings entire, he mould in this cafe have made the genus of Thoca, or Seals, and that of the Trichecus or Manati, immediately precede the whale, thofe be- ing the links that connect the Mammalia or qua- drupeds with the fifh ; for the Seal is, in refpect to its legs, the moft imperfect of the former clafs ; and in the Manati the hind feet coalefce, aflum- ing the form of a broad horizontal tail.

Notwithstanding the many parts and properties which cetaceous fifh have in common with land animals, yet there flill remain others, that in a natural arrangement of the animal kingdom, mud determine us after the example of the illuftrious Ray *, to place them in the rank of fifh ; and for

* Who makes two divifions of filh.

1. Pulmone refpirantes.

2. Branchiis refpirantes,

the

Class IV. CETACEOUS FISH.

the fame reafons, that fir ft of fyftematic writers afligns,

That the form of their bodies agrees with that offifh.

They are entirely naked, or covered only with a fmooth fkin.

They live entirely in the water, and have all the a&ions of fifh.

Vol. III. E Cetaceous

49

5°

COMMON WHALE. Class IV.

I.

WHALE.

Cetaceous Fifh without teeth, with horny laminae in their mouths.

16.C0MMON. MwWoj. drift, hift. an. Lib. HI. c. 12. Mufculus Plinii, Lib. XI. c.

37-

Balasna. Rondel. 475. G^/wr P/>. 114.

BalcEna major, Jaminas cor- neas in fuperiore maxiilas habens, fiftula donata, bi- pinnis. Sib. Pkalan. 28.

Balsena vulgaris edentula, dor- io non pinnato. Rail fyit. pifc. 6.

Baixna. Rondel. Wil.ltlh. 35.

The Whale. Martin's Spitz- berg. 130. Crantz's Green/. I. 107.

La Baleine ordinaire. BriJJbn Get. 218.

Balscha fiitula in medio capite, dorfb caudum verfus, acu- minata. Arted. Jyn. 106. Sp. ro6.

Balama myfticetus. Lin. fyji. 105. Gronlands Walfifk. Faun. Suec. No. 49.

Balasna. Grono-v. Zoopb. 29.

Size.

THIS fpecies is the largefi: of all animals : it is even at prefent ibmetimes found in the northern feas ninety feet in length ; but formerly they were taken of a much greater fize, when the captures were, lefs frequent, and the fifh had time to grow. Such is their bulk within the arftic cir- cle, but in thofe of the torrid zone, where they are unmolefled, whales are {till feen one hundred and fixty feet long *.

The

* Adanforfs <voy. 174. From this account we find no rea- fon to difbelieve the vaft fize of the Indian whales, of whofe

bones

CtASsIV. COMMON WHALE. 51

The head is very much difproportioned to the fize of the body, being one-third the fize of the fifh : the under lip is much broader than the up- per. The tongue is corhpofed of a foft fpongy fat, capable of yielding five .pr fix barrels of oil. The gullet is very fmall for fo vaft a fifh, not exceeding four inches in width. In the middle of the head are two orifices, thro' which it fpouts water to a vail height, and with a great noife, efpecialiy when difturbed or wounded.

The eyes are no larger than thofe of an ox.

On the back there is no fin, but on the fideSj beneath each eye, are two large ones.

The penis is eight feet in length, inclofed in a ftrong fheath. The teats in the female are placed in the lower^part of the belly.

The tail is broad and femilunar.

This whale varies in color : the back of fome being red, the belly generally white. Others are black, fome mottled, others quite white, according to the obfervation of Marten, who fays, that their colors in the water are extremely beautiful, and that their ikin is very fmooth and flippery.

What is called whalebone adheres to the upper Whale. jaw, and is formed of thin parallel lamina?, fome

bones and jaws, both Strabo, Lib. XV. and Pliny, Lib. IX. c. 3. relate, that the natives made their houfes, ufing the jaws for door-cafes. This method of building was formerly pra&ifed by the inhabitants of Greenland, as we find from Frebijher, in his fecond voyage, p. 18, publifhed in 1587.

E 2 of

BONE.

52 COMMON WHALE. Class IV.

of the longeft four yards in length •, of thefe there are commonly 350 on each fide, but in very old fifh more; of thefe about 500 are of a length fit for ufe, the others being too fhort. They are fur- rounded with long ftrong hair, not only that they may not hurt the tongue, but as ftrainers to pre- vent the return of their food when they difcharge the water out of their mouths.

It is from thefe hairs that Arifiotle gave the name of MvriKYpr<fs9 or the bearded whale, to this fpecies, which he tells us had in its mouth hairs inftead of teeth*; and Pliny defcrihes the fame under the name of Mufculusf. Though the antients were acquainted with this animal, yet as far as we re- collect, they were ignorant of their ufes as well as capture.

Aldrovand% indeed defcribes from Oppian, what he miftakes for whale fifhing : he was deceived by the word Hnro^ which is ufed not only to exprefs whale in general, but any great fifh. The poet here meant the Jhark, and (hews the way of taking it in the very manner pracYifed at prefent, by a ftrong hook baited with fkfh. He defcribes too its three-fold row of teeth, a circumflance that at once difproves its being a whale :

* sn 3s xai b (jLvrluYiTog q$ov%$ (aev £j/ toj rfaan nt£ sxeh Tf/x«S 5e o^waj «e/«5. Hift. an. Lib. III. c. 12.

f Lib. XI. c 37. % De Cetis. 261.

Aetvxc

Class IV. COMMON WHALE. 53

Awn; %«y?uo5bv7«$. avxioias hvr axovlag,

Halieut. V. lin. 526.

Whofe dreadful teeth in triple order ftand, Like fpears out of his mouth.

The whale, though fo bulky an animal, fwims with vaft fwiftnefs, and generally againft the wind.

It brings only two young at a time, as we be- lieve is the cafe with all other whales.

Its food is a certain fort of fmall fnail, and as Foo®. Linnaus fays, the medufa, or fea blubber.

The great refort of this fpecies is within the arttic circle, but they fometimes vifit our coafts. Whether this was the Britijh whale of the antients we cannot pretend to fay, only we find, from a line in Juvenal^ that it was of a very large fize \

Quanto Delphinis Balana Britannica major.

Sat. X,

As much as Britijh whales in fize furpafs The dolphin race.

To view thefe animals in a commercial light, we muft add, that the Englijh were late before they engaged in the whale-fifhery : it appears by a fet of queries, propofed by an honeft merchant in the year 1575, in order to get information in the bufinefs, that we were at that time totally igno-

E 3 rant

54

COMMON WHALE. Class IV.

rant of it, being obliged to fend to Bijkaie for men Jkilful in the catching of the whale, and ordering of the oil, and one cooler Jkilful to fet up the Jlaved cajk *. This feems very ft range •, for by the account Oclher gave of his travels to King Alfred, near 700 years f before that period, it is evident that he made that monarch acquainted with the Nor- wegians practifing the whale- fifhery ; but it feems all memory of that gainful employ, as well as of that able voyager Oclher, and all his important difcoveries in the North were loft for near feven centuries.

It was carried on by the Bifcayeners long before

we attempted the trade, and that for the fake not

only of the oil, but alfo of the whalebone, which

they feem to have long trafficked in. The

earlieft notice we find of that article in our trade

is by Hackluyt J, who fays it was brought from the

Bay of St, Laurence by an Englifh (hip that went

there for the barbes and fynnes of whales and train

oil, A. D. 1594, and who found there feven or

eight hundred whale fynnes, part of the cargo of

two great Bifiaine friips, that had been wrecked

there three years before. Previous to that, the

ladies ftays muft have been made of fplit cane, or

forne tough wood, as Mr. Anderfon obferves in his

* Hackluyt* s Col. <voy. I. 414, f Idem.) 1. 4. X Idem, III. 194.

Dictionary

Class IV. COMMON W HA L E. 55

Dictionary of Commerce*, it being certain that the whale fifhery was carried on, for the fake of the oil, long before the difcovery of the ufe of whale bone.

The great refort of thefe animals was found to be on the inhoipitable mores of Spitzbergen^ and the European fnips made that place their principal fifhery, and for numbers of years were very fuc- cefsful : the Englijh commenced that bufinefs about the year 1598, and the town of Hull had the honor of firft attempting that profitable branch of trade. At prefent it feems to be on the decline, the quan- tity of fifti being greatly reduced by the conftant capture for fucht a vaft length of time : fome re- cent accounts inform us, that the fi fliers, from a defect of whales? apply themfelves to feal fifhery, from which animals they extract an oil. This we fear will not be of any long continuance; for thefe fhy and timid creatures will foon be induced to quit thofe. fnores by being, perpetually harrarTed, as the morfe or walrus has already in a great meafure done. We are alfo told, that the poor natives of Greenland begin even now to fuffer from the decreafe of the feal in their feas, it being their principal fubfiftence •, fo that fnould it totally de- defert the coaft, the whole nation would be in dan- ger of perifliing through want.

In old times the whale feems never to have been Royal

Fish. * Vol. I. 442.

E 4 taken

56 PIKE-HEADED WHALE. Class IV.

taken on our coafts, but when it was accidentally flung afhore : it was then deemed a royal fifti*, and the king and queen divided the fpoil; the king afferting his right to the head, her majefty to the tail +.

17. Pike- Balaena tripinnis nares habens La Baleine a mufeau pointu.

headed. cum rollro acuto, et plicis Brijjbn Cet. 224.

in ventre. Sib. Phalain 29. Balcena fiftula duplici inroftro,

tab. 1 . dorfo extremo protuberantia

Idem. Raii fyn. pifc. 16. cornuiformi. Arted. fyn+

Pike-headed Whale. Dak 107.

Harwich, 410. No. 3. Balama Boops. Lin. Jyji. 106.

Size. f~T^HE length of that taken on the coaft of Scot- JL land^ as remarked by Sir Robert Sibbald, was forty- fix feet, and its greateft circumference twenty. Descrip. The head of an oblong form, floping down, and growing narrower to the nofe; fix feet eight inches from the end of which were two fpout-holes, fepa- rated by a thin divifion : the eyes fmall.

The pectoral fins five feet long, and one and a half broad : on the back, about eight feet and an half from the tail, in lieu of a back fin, was a hard horny protuberance : the tail was nine feet and a half broad.

* Item habet warecrum maris per totum regnum Ballenas et Slurgiofies captos, Sec. Eclvoardi II. anno ljmo. f Blackflone 's Com, I. c. 4,

The

Class IV. F I N F I S H. 57

The belly was uneven, and formed into folds running length-ways.

The fkin extremely fmooth and bright -9 that on the back black •, that on the belly white.

This fpecies takes its name from the fhape of its nofe, which is narrower and fharper pointed than that of other whales.

Balasna edentula corpore ftric- Le Gibbar. Brijfon Cet. 222. 18. Fin fish.

tiore, dorfo pinnato. Rail Bala^na fiftula in medio ca-

fyn. pifc. 9. Dak Harwich, pite tubero penniformi in

410. No. 2. extremo dorfo. Arted.fyn.

Fin Fifh. Marten's Spitzherg. 107.

165. Balaena Phyfalus. Lin. Jyft*

Egede Greenl. 65. Crantz 106.

Greenh I no.

''T">HIS fpecies is diftinguifhed from the common ■*- whale by a fin on the back, placed very low and near the tail.

The length is equal to that of the common Descrip. kind, but much more (lender. It is furnifhed with whale-bone in the upper jaw, mixed with hairs, but fhort and knotty, and of little value. The blubber alfo on the body of this kind is very in- confiderable j thefe circumftances, added to its ex- treme ;fiercenefs and agility, which renders the capture very dangerous, caufe the rimers to neglect it. The natives of Greenland though hold it in great efteem, as it affords a quantity of flefh, which to their palate is very agreeable,

The

5& ROUND-LIPPED WHALE. Class IV.

The lips are brown, and like a twilled rope: the fpout hole is as it were fplit in the top of its head, through which it blows water with much more violence, and to a greater height, than the common whale. The rimers are not very fond of feeing it, for on its appearance the others retire out of thofe leas.

Some writers conjecture this fpecies to have been the <bu<ra*Qs9 and Phyfeter, or blowing whale of Op- pan, Mlian^ and Pliny*, but fince thofe writers ' have not left the left defcription of it, it is im- poflible to judge which kind they meant; for in refpect to the faculty of fpouting out water, or blowing, it is not peculiar to any one fpecies, but common to all the whale kind.

19. Round- Balsna tripinnis maxillam in- Brijfon Cet. 222.

lipted. feriorem rotundam et fupe- B. fiitula duplici in fronte

riore multolatiorem habens. maxilla inferiore multo la-

Sib. Phalain. 33. tab. t. 3. tiore. Arted. fyn. 107.

Idem. Raii fyn. pifc. 16. Balaena mufculus. Lin, fyji.

La Baleine a mufeau rond. 106.

'TpHE character of this fpecies is to have the A lower lip broader than the upper, and of a femicircular form.

That taken in 1692 near Abercorn-Caftle, was feventy-eight feet long, the circumference thirty-

* Oppian, Halieut, I. Lin. 368. JElian Hiji, an. ix. c. 49. Flin. lib, ix. c, 5.

five;

Class IV, BEAKED WHALE. S9

five ; the riftus or gape very wide ; the tongue fif- teen feet and a half long \ the mouth furnimed with fhort whale-bone, about three feet in length. On the forehead were two fpout holes of a pyrami- dal form.

The eyes were placed thirteen feet from the end of the nofe : the pectoral fins ten feet long : the back fin about three feet high, placed near the tail, which was eighteen feet broad : the belly was . full of folds.

This fpecies is faid to feed on herrings.

Burikopf. Marten's Spztzherg. tab. 14. 20. Beaked.

1 24. Nebbe-haul, or beaked Whale, Bottle-head, or Flounders- Pontop. Norway y I. 123.

head. Dale Harwich, 411.

'nr^HIS fpecies was taken near Maldon, i?ij> •** and thus defcribed by Dale and Marten.

The length was fourteen feet, the circumference feven and an half; the body very thick, the fore- head high, the nofe deprefTed, and of the fame thicknefs its whole length, not unlike the beak of a bird : in the mouth were no teeth.

The eyes large, the eyelids fmall, and placed a little above the line of the mouth. The fpout hole was on the top of the head femi circular, with, the corners pointed towards the tail.

The pectoral fins were feven teen inches long.

The

66 BEAKED WHALE. Class IV.

The back fin was placed rather nearer the tail than the head, and was a foot long: the breadth of the tail was three feet two inches.

Thefe fifh fometimes grow to the length of twenty feet ; they make but little noife in blowing, are very tame, come very near the fhips, and will accompany them for a great way.

Belon defcribes and figures a fifh very much re- fembling, if not the fame with this : he fays k furnifhed whale- bone, Dont les Dames font au- jourdhuy leurs buftes et arrondijfent leurs verdugades*9 by which it appears, that the commodity was but newly known at that time in France. He adds, that the tongue was very good eating, and both that and the flefh ufed to be faked for provifion.

* Belon de lanat. l2c. des PoiJ/bns, 1 555, p. 6, by which it appears that the French were acquainted with that article 3t left forty years before we were.

Cetaceous

%

Class IV. BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT. 61

Cetaceous Fifh, with teeth in the lower jaws only. H. CACHA-

1 LOT.

Trumpa. Purchafs's Pzlgrimes Its. BriJJbn Cet. zig. 21. Blunt.

III. 471. The Parmacitty Whale, cr headed.

Balana major in infcriore Pot Wal Fifh. Dale Har-

tantum maxilla dentata den- 'vjich, 413.

tibus arcuatis falciformibus, Phyfeter microps. Lin. fyjl.

pinnam five fpinam in dorfo 107. Arted. fyn. 104.

habens. Sib. Phalian. 13. Cafhalot, Catodon, or Pot

tabs A. 1. Raii Jyn. pifc. Fifh. Crantz, Greenl. I,

15. 112. Le cachalot a dents en faucil-

AFISH of this kind was cad afhore on CramonX I/le, near Edinburgh, December 2 2d, 1769; its length was fifty-four f^t9 the greateft: circum- Size, ference, which was juft beyond the eyes, thirty : the upper jaw was five feet longer than the lower, whofe length was ten feet.

The head was of a mod enormous fize, very Descrhs thick, and above one-third the fize of the fifh :' the end of the upper jaw was quite blunt, and near nine feet high : the fpout hole was placed near the end of it.

The teeth were placed in the lower jaw, twenty- Teeth. three on each fide, all pointing outwards ; in the upper jaw, oppofite to them, were an equal num- ber of cavities, in which the ends of the teeth lodged when the mouth was clofed. The tooth,

figured

6% BLUNT-HEADED CACHALOT. Class IV.

figured in plate iii. No. 2. was eight inches long, the greater! circumference the fame. It is hollow within fide for the depth of three inches, and the mouth of the cavity very wide : it is thickeft at the bottom, and grows very fmall at the point, bending very much ; but in fome the flexure is more than in others. Thefe, as well as the teeth of all other whales we have obferved, are very hard, and cut like ivory.

The eyes very fmall, and remote from the nofe.

The pectoral fins placed near the corners of the mouth, and were only three feet long: it had no other fin, only a large protuberance on the mid- dle of the back.

The tail a little forked, and fourteen feet from tip to tip.

The penis {even feet and a half long.

The figure, plate ii. we borrowed from a print in the LX. vol. of the Ph. Tr. p. where there is a very good account of this fpecies by Mr. James Robert/on, furgeon.

This is one of the fpecies which yield what is

Spermaceti improperly called fperma ceti •, that fubftance being

found lodged in the head of the fifh that form

this genus, which the French call Cachalot^ a name

we have adopted, having no general term for it in

our tongue.

Linn&us informs us, that this fpecies purfues and terrifies the PorpefTes to fuch a degree as often to drive them on fhore.

Belasna

PL.TE.

TEETH OF CETACEOUS FISH.

JSro 23

jyp 21

^'.'2,4^.

2VF22.

m™*

Class IV. ROUND-HEADED CACHALOT.

6S

Balaena minor in inferiore maxilla tan turn dentata fine fpina aut pinna in dorfo. Sib. Pbalain. 9. Rati fyn. pifc. 15.

X-e petit Cachalot. Brijfon

Cef. 228. Phyfeter Catodon. Lin. jyji.

107. Catodon filtula in roftro. Arted. Jynon. 108.

22. Round-

HEADE9.

*T^ HIS fpecies was taken on one of the Orkney **" Ifles, a hundred and two of different flzes being caft afhore at one time, the largeft twenty- four feet in length.

The head was round, the opening of the mouth fmall : Sibhald fays it had no fpout hole, but only noftrils. We rather think, that the former being placed at the extremity of the nofe was miftaken by him for the latter.

The teeth we have in our cabinet of this fpecies (plate iii. No. 4.) are an inch and three-quarters long, and in the largeft part, of the thicknefs of one's thumb. The top is quite flat, and marked with concentric lines •, the bottom is more {lender than the top, and pierced with a fmall orifice.

The back fin was wanting ♦, inftead was a rough fpace.

Betas

64 HIGH-FINNED CACHALOT. Class IV.

23. High- Balasna macrocephala tripin- nentes. Sib. Phalain. 18.

fiNNED. nis, quae in mandibula in- Raiifyn.pifc. 16.

■ , feriore dentes habet minus Le Cachalot a dents plattes.

inflexos et in planum deii- Brijfon Cet* 230.

O

NE of this fpecies was cafl: on the Orkney Ifles in 1687. The fpout hole was placed in front, and on the middle of the back was a high fin, which Sibbald compares to the mizen maft of a fhip. The head abounded with fperma ceti of the beft fort. Teeth. The teeth of this kind are very (lightly bent;

that which we have figured, plate iii. No, 1. is feven inches three-quarters in length ; the greateft circumference nine : it is much comprefTed on the fides ; the point rather blunt than flat -, the bot- tom thin, having a very narrow but long orifice, or flit, hollowed to the depth of five inches and a quarter, and the tooth was immerfed in the jaw as far as that hollow.

Cetaceous

Class IV. DOLPHIN.

55

Cetaceous Fifli, with teeth in both jaws.

nr.

DOLPHIN,

AfiXpk 4™ft- Hi/, an. lib.

VI. c. 12. AsAp/v. JElian

lib. I. c. 18. Delphinus Plinii, lib. IX.

£. 8. Le Daulphin, ou oye

de mer, Belon Poijf. 7. Delphinus. Rondel. 459. Gef-

iter pifc. 319. Caii opufc.

113-

Delphinus Antiquorum. Wil.

Iclh. 28. Rail fyn. pifc. 12. Delphinus corpore Longo fub-

teretf, roftro longo acuto.

Arted. fyn. 105. Le Dauphin. Brijbn Cet. 233. Delphinus Delphis. Lin. Jyft.

108. Dolphin. Borlafe Cornwall,

264. /«£. 27. Cranio GreenL

I. 115. -

24. Dol- phin.

TTISTORIANS and philofophers feem to JL A have contended who fhould invent moft fa- bles concerning this fifh. It was coniecrated to the Gods, was celebrated in the earlier! time for its foifdnefs of the human race, was honored with the title of the Sacred Fijb*, and diftinguilhed by thofe of Boy -loving, and Pbilantbropift. It gave rife to a long train of inventions, proofs of the cre- dulity and ignorance of the times.

Ariftotle fleers the cleared of all the antients from thefe fables, and gives in general fo faithful a natural hiftory of this animal, as^ evinces the fupe- rior judgment of that great philolbpher, in compa- rifon to thofe who fucceeded him. But the elder

Vol. III.

* Atbenceus, 281

F

Pliny,

£4 DOLPHIN. Class IV.

Pliny, JElian, and others, feem to preferve no bounds in their belief of the tales related of this fifh's attachment to mankind.

Pliny*- the younger, (apologizing for what he is going to -fay) tells the flory of the enamoured dol- phin of Hippo in a mod beautiful manner. It is too long to be tranfcribed, and would be injur- ed by an abridgement -, therefore we refer the read- er to the original, or to Mr. Melmoth\ elegant tranflation.

Scarce an accident could happen at fea but the dolphin offered himfelf to convey to ihore the un- fortunate. Avion, the mufician, when flung into the ocean by the pyrates, is received and faved by this benevolent filh.

Inde (fide majus) tergo Delphina recurvo, Se memorant oneri fuppofuiffe novo.

Ule fedens citharamque tenens, pretiumque vehendi Cantat, et sequoreas carmine mulcet aquas.

Ovid. Fajiiy lib. ii. it^.

But (pall belief) a Dolphin's arched back, Preferved Jrion from his deftined wrack ; Secure he fits, and with harmonious iirains* Requites his bearer for his friendly pains.

We are at a lofs to account for the origin of thofe fables, fince it does not appear that the dol- phin fhews a greater attachment to mankind than

* Epift. lib. ix, ep, 33*

the

Class IV. D O L ? H I N. 67

the red of the cetaceous tribe. We know that at prefent the appearance of this fifh, and the porpefte, are far from being efteemed favorable omens by the feamen ; for their boundings, fprings and frolics in the water, are held to be fure figns of an approaching gale.

It is from their leaps out of that element that they aflame a temporary form that is not natural to them, but which the old painters and fculp- tors have almoft always given them. A dolphin is fcarce ever exhibited by the antients in a ftrait iliape, but almoft always incurvated : fuch are thofe on the coin of Alexander the Greats which is preferved by Belon, as well as on feveral other pieces of antiquity. The poets defcribe them much in the fame manner, and it is not impro- bable but that the one had borrowed from the other :

Tumidumque pando tranfilit dorfo mare Tyrrhenus omni pifcis exfultat freto, Agitatque gyros.

Senec. Frag. Again. 450.

Upon the fvvelling waves the dolphins fhew Their bending backs, then fwiftly darting go, And in a thoufand wreaths their bodies throw.

The natural fhape of the dolphin is almoft ftrait, De*cm», the back being very (lightly incurvated, and the body flender : the nofe is long, narrow, and point- F 2 ed

6S DOLPHIN. Class IV.

ed, not much unlike the beak of fome birds, for which reafon the French call it L9 oye de mer. Teeth. It has in all forty-two teeth, twenty-one in the

upper jaw, and nineteen in the lower, a little a- bove * an inch long, conic at their upper end, fliarp pointed*, bending a little in. They are placed at fmall diftances from each other, fo that when the mouth is fhut, the teeth of both jaws lock into one another : a fingle one is figured plate iii.

No. 5-

The fpout hole is placed in the middle of the head.

The back fin is high, triangular, and placed rather nearer to the tail than to the head ; the pecto- ral fins fituated low.

The tail is femilunar.

The fkin is frnooth, the color -of the back and fides dufky -, the belly whitifh.

It fwims with great fwiftnefs : its prey is fifh.

It was formerly reckoned a great delicacy : Doctor Caius fays, that one which was taken in his time, was thought a prefent v/orthy the Duke of Norfolk, who diftributed part of it among his friends. It was roafted and dreffed with porpefle fauce, made of crumbs of fine white bread, mixed with vinegar and fugar.

This fpecies of dolphin muft not be confound- ed with that to which feamen give the name, the

* Plate Iii. fig. 5.

latter

Class IV. PORPESSE.

latter being quite another kind of fifh, the Cory- phtena, Hippuris of Linnaus^ p. 446. and the Do- rado of the PGrtuguefe, defcribed by Wilfaghty* p. 213.

69

Quxaiva. Arifi. hijt. an. Lib. Le Marfouin. Briffbn Cet.

VI. c. 12. Turfio Flinii, 234.

Lib. IX. c. 9. Le Marfouin. Belon. Turfio. Rondel. 474. Gefncr

pifc. 711. Porpeffe. Wil. lah. 31. Rail

fyn.pifc. 13. Cramps Greenl.

I. 114. Kolben's HiJ}. Cape,

II. 200.

Delphinus corpore fere coni- formi, dorfo lato, roftro fu- bacuto. Arted. fynon. 104.

Delphinus Phocxna. Lin. jyji. 108.

Marfwin, Tumblare. Faun* Suec. No. ci.

25. PoR«

FESSE.

THESE fifh are found in vail multitudes in all parts of the fea that wafh thefe iflands, but in greater!: numbers at the time when fifh of paflage appear, fuch as mackrel, herrings, and falmon, which they purfue up the bays with the fame eagernels as a pack of dogs does a hare. In fome places they almoft darken the fea as they rife above water to take breath : but porpeffes not only feek for prey near the fnrface, but often defcend to the bottom in fearch _of fand eels, and fea worms, which they root out of the fand with their nofes in the fame manner as hogs do in the fields for their food.

Their bodies are very thick towards the head, F 3 but

Descrip.

76 PORPESSE. Class IV.

but grows (lender towards the tail, forming the figure of a cone.

The nofe projects a little, is much (liorter than that of the dolphin, and is furnifhed with very ftrong mufcles, which enables it the readier to turn up the fand. Teeth. jn eacn jaw are forty-eight teeth, fmall, fharp

pointed, and a little moveable : like thofe of the dolphin, they are fo placed as that the teeth of one jaw locks into thofe of the other when clofed.

The tongue is flat, pectinated at the edges, and fattened down to the bottom of the mouth.

The eyes fmall •> the fpout hole on the top of the head.

On the back is one fin placed rather below the middle ^ on the bread are two fins. The tail fe- milunar.

The color of the porpefife is generally black, and the belly whitifh, not but they fometimes vary ; for in the river St* Laurence there is a white kind ; and Doctor Borlafe^ in his voyage to the Scitty ifles, obferved a fmall fpecies of cetaceous fifh, which he calls thornbacks^ from their broad and fharp fin on the back, fome of thele were brown, fome quite white, others fpotted : but whether they were only a variety of this fifh, or whether they were fmall grampufes, which are alfo fpotted, we cannot determine. Fat. The porpefife is remarkable for the vaft quanr

tity of the fat or lard that furrounds the body,

which

Class IV. P O R P E S S E. ft

which yields a great quantity of excellent oil : from this lard, or from their rooting like fvvine, they are called in many places fea hogs ; the Germans call them meerfchwein •, the Swedes, marfuin \ and the Englijb, porpejfe, from the Italian, porco pefce.

It would be curious to trace the revolutions of fafhion in the article of eatables ; what epicure firft rejected the Sea-Gull and Heron -, and what deli- cate (lomach firil naufeated the greafy flefri of the PorpeJTe. This latter was once a royal dim, even fo late as the reign of Henry VIII. and from its magnitude muft have held a very refpeclable ftation at the table ; for in a houfhold book of that prince, extracts of which are publilhed in the third volume of the Archaelogia, it is ordered that if a PorpefTe lhouid be too big for a horfe-load, allowance fhould be made to the purveyor. I find that this fifh continued in vogue even in the reign of Eliza- ieth, for Doctor Cains * on mentioning a Dolphin (that was taken at Shoreham, and brought to Thomas Duke of Norfolk, who divided, and fent it as a pre- fent to his friends) fays, that it eat belt with Porpejje fauce, which was made of vinegar, crums of fine bread, and fugar.

v * Opuftula, 1 1 &

F jl Orca

7* GRAMPUS. Class IV.

26. Gram- Orca Plinii, Lib. IX. c. 6. dentata. Sib. Phalan. 7, 8.

pus. L'oudre ou grand marfouin. Wil. Iclh. 40. Rati Jyn.

Belon, 13. pi/}. 15.

Orca. Rondel. 483. Gefner L'Epaulard. Brijfon Cet. 236.

///£. 635. Leper, Springer. Delphinus orca. Lin.Jyfi. 108.

Scbonevelde, 53. Lopare, Delphinus roftro fur-

Butfkopf. Marten's Sphzbcrg. fum repando, dentibus la-

124. tis ferratis. Arted. Jyn. 106.

Bafena minor utraque maxilla

THIS fpecies is found from the length of fif- teen feet to that of twenty-five. It is re- markably thick in proportion to its length, one of eighteen feet being in the thicker!: place ten feec diameter. With reafon then did Pliny call this an immenfe heap of flefb, armed with dreadful teeth *.

It is extremely voracious, and will not even fpare the porpefTe, a congenerous fifh. It is laid to be a great enemy to the whale, and that it will fallen on it like a dog on a bull, till the animal roars with pain.

The nofe is flat, and turns up at the end. Teeth. There are thirty teeth in each jaw; thofe before are blunt, round, and (lender ; the farther! (harp and thick : between each is a fpace adapted to re- ceive the teeth of the oppofite jaw when the mouth is clofed.

* Cujus imago nulla reprefentatione exprimi poffit alia, quam carnxs immenfe dentibus irucuientis. Lib. IX, c. 6.

The

Class IV. GRAMPUS. 73

The fpout hole is in the top of the neck. In refpecl to the number and fite of the fins, it agrees with the dolphin.

The color of the back is black, but on each Color. fhoulder is a large white fpot, the fides marbled with black and white, the belly of a fnowy white- - nefs.

Thefe fometimes appear on our coafts, but are Place. found in much greater numbers off the North Cape in Norway 1 whence they are called the North Capers, Thefe and all other whales are obferved to fwim againft the wind, and to be much disturb- ed, and tumble about with unufual violence at the approach of a ftorm.

Linnaeus and Artedi fay, that this fpecies is fur- nifhed with broad ferrated teeth, which as far as we have obferved, is peculiar to the Jhark tribe. We therefore fufpect that thofe naturalifts have had recourfe to Rondektius* and copied his erro- neous account of the teeth: Sir Robert Sibbald^ who had opportunity of examining and figuring the teeth of this fifh, and from whom we take than part of our defcription, giving a very different ac- count of them.

It will be but juftice to fay, that no one of our countrymen ever did fo much towards forming a general natural hiftory of this kingdom as Sir Robert Sibbald: he fketched out a fine outline of the Zoology of Scotland^ which comprehends the great- eft part of the Englljh animals, and, we are told,

had

74. GRAMPUS. Class IV.

had actually filled up a confiderable part of it : he publifhed a particular hiftory of the county of Fife, and has left us a mod excellent hiftory of the whales which frequent the coaft of Scotland. Wc acknowledge ourfelves much indebted to him for information in refpe£t to many of thofe fifh, few of which frequent the fouthern feas of thefe king- doms, and thofe that are accidentally call afhore on our coafts, are generally cut up by the country people, before an opportunity can be had of exa- mining them.

Div.

Class IV. CARTILAGINOUS FISH. 75

Div.IL CARTILAGINOUS FISH.

JnrSHIS title is given to all nfh whofe mufcles JL are fupported by cartilages inftead of bones, and comprehends the fame genera of fifh to which Linnaeus has given the name of amphibia nantes : but the word amphibia, ought properly to be con- fined to fuch animals who inhabit both elements, and can live without any inconvenience for a con- fiderable fpace, either in land or under water -, fuch as tortoifes, frogs, and feveral fpecies of li- zards-, and among the quadrupeds, hippopotami, feals, &c. &c. This definition therefore excludes all that form this divifion.

Many of the cartilaginous nfh are viviparous, being excluded from an egg, which is hatched within them. The egg confiftsofa white and a yolk, and is lodged in a cafe, formed of a thick tough fubftance, not unlike foftened horn: fuch are the eggs of the Ray and Shark kinds.

Some again differ in this refpetft, and are ovi- parous ; fuch is the Sturgeon, and others.

They breathe either through certain apertures beneath, as in the Rays \ on their fides as in the Sharks, &c. or on the top of the head, as in the Pipe~fijh; for they have not covers to their gills like the bony fifh.

Slender

y6 LAMPREY. Class IV.

IV. Slender Eel-ihaped body.

LAMPREY. IcA

Seven apertures on each fide ;

One on the top of the head. No pectoral or ventral fins.

27. Sea. La Lamproye de mer. Belon, Petromyzon maculofusordini- 66. bus dentium circiter viginti. Lampetra. Rondel. 398. Arted. fynon. 90. Lampreda. Gcfncr. Parallp. Petromyzon marinus. P. ore 22. Fife 590. intus papillofo, pinna dor- Lamprey, or Lamprey Eel. fali pofteriori a cauda dif- Wil. I Sib. 105. tin&a. Lhi.fyfi. 394. Faun. Lampetra. Rail fyn, pifc» 35. Suec, No. 292.

L

AMPREYS are found at certain feafons of the year in feveral of our rivers, hut \h& Severn is the moft noted for them *, They are fea fifh, but like falmon, quit the fait waters, and afcend Placi. the latter end of the winter, or beginning of fpring, and after a (lay of a few months return again to the ocean, a very few excepted. The bed feafon for them is in the months of March, April, and May -9 for they are more firm when juft arrived out of the fait water than they are afterwards, being ob- ferved to be much wafted, and very flabby at the approach of hot weather.

* They are alfo found in the moft confiderable of the Scotch and Irijb rivers.

They

m

>

0 V* ■: "»,

'"I

CiASsIV. LAMPREY.

They are taken in nets along with falmon and fhad, and fometimes in weels laid in the bottom of the river.

It has been an old cuftom for the city of Glou- cefter, annually, to prefent his majefty with a lam- prey pye, covered with a large raifed cruft. As the gift is made at Chriftmas, it is with great diffi- culty the corporation can procure any frefh Jam- preys at that time, though they give a guinea a-piece for them, fo early in the feafon.

They are reckoned a great delicacy, either when potted or ftewed, but are a furfeiting food, as one of our monarchs fatally experienced, Henry the Firft's death being occafioned by a too plentiful meal of thefe fifh. It appears that notwithstanding this accident, they continued in high efteem -9 for Henry the Fourth granted protections to fuch mips as brought over lampreys for the table of his royal confort*. His fucceflbr iflues out a warrant to William of Nantes^ for fupplying him and his army with lampreys, wherefoever they happen to march f. Directions are afterwards given that they mould be taken between the mouth of the Seyne and Harfleur.

Lampreys are fometimes found fo large as to weigh four or five pounds.

The mouth is round and placed rather obliquely below the end of the nofe : the edges are jagged,

# Rymer, VIII. 429. f Idem. IX. 544.

which

77

78 LAMPREY. Class IV.

which enables them to adhere the more ftrongly to the ftones, as their cuflom is, and which they do fo firmly as not to be drawn off without fome diffi- culty.

We have heard of one weighing three pounds, which was taken out of the EJk% adhering to a (lone of twelve pounds weight, fufpended at its mouth, from which it was forced with no fmall pains.

There are in the mouth twenty rows of fmall teeth, difpofed in circular orders, and placed far within.

The color is dufky, irregularly marked with dir- ty yellow, which gives the fifh a difagreeable look. Not the We believe that the ancients were unacquainted with this fifh ; fo far is certain, that which Doclor Arbuthnot^ and other learned men, render the word lamprey, is a fpecies unknown in our feas, being the murana of Ovid, Pliny, and others, for which we want an Englijh name. This fifh, the Lupus (our BafTe) and the Myxo* (a fpecies of mullet) formed that pride of Roman banquets, the Tripa- tinam f , fo called according to Arbuthnot, from their being ferved up in a machine with three bot- toms.

* Perhaps the fpecies called by Rondehtius* Muge% and Maxon. de Pifc. P. 295.

f Atque ut luxu quoque aliqua contingat auttoritas figlinis, Tripati?iam, inquit Fenejlella^ appellabatur, fumma casnarum lautitia, una erat Muranarum, altera Luporum, tertia Myxonis pifcis. Plinii Hift. Nat. lib. XXXV. c. 12.

The

Class IV. LESSER LAMPREY. 79

The words Lampetra and Petromyzon, are but of modern date, invented from the nature of the fifri \ the firft a Lambendo petras, the other from niTfofc and Mucraco, becaufe they are fuppofed to lick, or fuck the rocks.

La Lamproye d'eaue doulce. Petromyzon fluviatilis. Lin, 28. Lessir,

Belon, 6j. fyfi. 394.

Lampredae alterum genus. Nein-oga, natting. Faun.

Gefner pifc. 597. Suec. No. 290. Petromyzon

Lampetra medium genus. pinna dorfali poileriori an-

WiU Icth. 106. Raiijyn. gulata. Ibid.

pifc. 35. Gronov. Zoopb. No. 159-. Neunaugen. Kram, 282.

THIS fpecies fometimes grows to the length of Bescrsf, ten inches.

The mouth is formed like that of the prece- ding. On the upper part is a large bifurcated tooth ; on each fide are three rows of very minute one's : on the lower part are feven teeth, the exte- rior of which on each fide is the largeft.

The irides are yellow. As in all the other fpe- cies, between the eyes, on the top of the head, is a fmall orifice of great ufe to clear its mouth of the water that remains on adhering to the Hones, for through that orifice it ejects the water in the fame manner as cetaceous fifh.

On the lower part of the back is a narrow fin, beneath that rifes another, which at the beginning

is

go PRIDE/ Class IV.

is high and angular, then grows narrow, furrounds the tail, and ends near the anus. Color. The color of the back is brown or dufky, and

fometimes mixed with blue ; the whole under fide iil very. Thefe are found in the 'Thames , Severn, and Dee, are potted with the larger kind, and are by fome preferred to it, as being milder tailed. Vaft quantities are taken about Mortlake, and fold to the Butch for bait for their cod fiihery. Above 450,000 have been fold in a feafon at forty mil- lings per thoufand. Of late, about 100,000 have been fent to Harwich for the fame purpofe. It is faid that the Butch have the fecret of preierving them till the Turbot fifhery.

Pride. Une Civelle, un Lamproyon. pifc 35.

Belon, 6y. Petromyzon branchialis. Lin.

Lampetra parva et fluviatiiis. fyfi. 394.

Rondel, pifc. fl. 202. Lin-ahl. Faun. Suec. No. 291.

Lampreda minima. Gefaer Petromyzon pinna dorfali pof-

pifc. 598. teriori lineari, labio oris

Pride. Plot, Oxf. 182. Plate latere poflico lobato. Ibid,

X. Uhlen. Kram. 384.

Lampern, or Pride of the IJis. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 160.

Wil. Iclh. 104. Raii jyn.

WE have feen thefe of the length of eight inches, and about the thicknefs of a fwan's qui], but they are generally much fmaller.

They are frequent in the rivers near Oxford, particularly the Jfis, but not peculiar to that coun- ty*

Class IV. PRIDE. 81

ty, being found in others of the Englijh rivers, where, inftead of concealing themfelv.s under the Hones, they lodge themfelves in the mud, and ne- ver are obferved to adhere to any thing like other lampreys.

The body is marked with numbers of tranfverfe lines, that pafs crofs the fides from the back to the bottom of the belly, which is divided from the mouth to the anus by a (trait line.

The back fin is not angular like that of the former, but of an equal breadth. The tail is Ian- ceolated, and fharp at the end.

Vol; IIL G Body

82 SKAT E. Class IV,

v- Body broad, flat, and thin.

RAY»

Five apertures on each fide placed beneath

Mouth fituated quite below.

With lharp teeth.

30. Skate. Bar); ? Arijl. Uft. an. Lib, Iftb. 69. Rati Jyn. pifc. 25.

I. c. 5. Lib. VI. c. 10. Raia Batis. Lin.fyji. 395.

Oppian Halieut. I. 103. Raia varia, dorfo medio gla-

Raia undulata five cinerea. bro, unico aculeorum or-

Rondel. 346. Ge/ner pifc. dine in Cauda. Arted. Jynon*

791. 102.

The Skate, or Flaire. Wil. Gronov. Zooph. No. 157.

Size. fTM-JXS fpecies is the thinnefl in proportion to JL its bulk of any of the genus, and alfo the largeft, fonie weighing near two hundred pounds. D esc rip. The nofe, though not long, is fharp pointed; above the eyes is a fet of fhort fpines : the whole upper part of that we examined was of a pale brown. Mr. Ray fays, fome he faw were ftreak- ed with black : the lower part is white, marked with great numbers of minute black fpots. The jaws were covered with fmall granulated but fharp- pointed teeth.

The tail is of a moderate length : near the end are two fins : along the top of it is one row of fpines, and on the edges are irregularly difperfed

a few

I. -IX.

jvrijf. i

SKJs. T E

TION

Class IV. SHARP-NOSED RAY. 83

a few others, which makes us imagine with Mr, Ray, that in this refpecl thefe fifh vary, fome ha- ving one, others more orders of fpines on the tail.

It is remarked that in the males of this fpecies the fins are full of fpines.

Skates generate in March and April, at which Genera- time they fwim near the iurface of the water, feve- ral of the males purfuing one female. They ad- here fo faft together in coition, that the iifhermen frequently draw up both together, though only one has taken the bait. The females begin to caft their purfes, as the fifhermen call them (the bags in which the young are included) in May, and continue doing it till September. In Oftober they are ex- ceedingly poor and thin ; but in November they be- gin to improve, and grow gradually better till May, when they are in the higheft perfection. The males go fooner out of feafon than the females,

3i# Skarf<

NOSED,

Bsj? Arift.hijl. an. Lib. V. Wil lah. 7 1, Raiifyn.pifc. ^lt $h

c. 5. Oppian Halieut. II. 26.

141. Raiaoxynnchus.Z/«./J/?. 395,

Bos Q<vidii ? 94. Pliniiy Lib. Raia varia tuberculis decern

IX. c. 24. aculeatis in medio dorfo,

Raia oxyrhincus. Rondtl. 34;. Arted. fyno?i. 101,

Gefner pifc. 792,

I

N fifhing in the Menai (the ftrait that divides

Anglefea from Caernarvonfiire) July JjCS, we

G 2 took

H4 SHAR P-N O S E D RAY. Class IV.

took one of this fpecies whofe length was near feven feet, and breadth five feet two inches -, when juft brought on more, it made a remarkable fnorting noife.

The nofe was very long, narrow, and fharp-point- ed, not unlike the end of a fpontoon.

The body was fmooth, and very thin in pro- portion to the fize-, the upper part afh, colored, fpotted with numerous white fpots, and a few black ones.

The tail was thick ; towards the end were two fmall fins, on each fide was a row of fmall fpines, with another row in the middle, which run fome -way up the back.

The lower part of the fifli was quite white.

The mouth very large, and furnifhed with numbers of fmall fharp teeth bending inwards.

On its body we found the hirudo muricata, which adhered very (Irongly, and when taken off left a black impreffion.

This fifh has been fuppofed to be the Bos of the antients, which was certainly fome enormous fpecies of Ray, though we cannot pretend to determine the particular kind : Oppian ftyles it,

Ei/fVTar(§H <7ravTS<T(ri /ust' ixfiwiv, Broadefl among fifties.

He adds an account of its fondnefs of human flefh, and the method it takes of deftroving men,

by

PI. XL.

JST? 3J.

THOILN-BACK.

pi. xn.

THORNBACK.

Class IV. R O U GH R A Y. 85

by over-laying and keeping them down by its vaft weight till they are drowned. Phile gives much the fame relation *. We are inclined to give them credit, fince a modern writer -f, of undoubted au- thority, gives the very fame account of a fifh found in the South Seas, the terror of thofe employed in the pearl fifhery. It is a fpecies of ray, called there Manta, or the §)uilt9 from its furrounding and wrapping up the unhappy divers till they are fuffocated ; therefore the negroes never go down, without a fharp knife to defend themfelves againft the afiaults of this terrible enemy.

Raia aiteria afpera. Rondel. 352." 32. Rough*

Gefnerpifc. 794. WiL Ifib. 78. Raiifyn. pifc. 28.

I TOOK this fpecies in Loch Broom in the fhire of The length from the nofe to the tip of the tail was two feet nine. The tail was almoft of the fame length with the body.

Nofe very fhort. Before each eye a large hook- ed fpine, and behind each another, befet with lefTer. The upper part of the body of a cinereous brown

* De propriet. Anim. 85.

f Ulloa's *voy. I. 132. S-vo. edit.

G 3 mixed

86 FULLER RAY. Class IV.

mixed with white, and fpotted with black; and entirely covered with fmall fpines. On the tail were three rows of great fpines : all the reft of the tail was irregularly befet with lelTer.

The fins, and under fide of the body were equally rough with the upper.

The teeth were flat, and rhomboidal.

33, Fuller. Raia fullonica. Rondel. $$y. Raia dorfo toto acnleato, acu-

Gefner pifc. 797. leorum ordine iimplici ad

Raia afpera noftras, the white oculos, duplici in cauda.

horfe. fVil. Iclb. 78. Raii Arted. fyn. 101. Gronov,

fyn. pifc. 26. Zooph. No. 155.

P.aia fullonica. Lin. Jyft,

THIS fpecies derives its Latin name from the inftruments fullers make ufe of in fmoothing cloth, the back being rough and fpiney.

The nofe is ihort and fharp. At the corner of each eye a few fpines. The membrane of nictita- tion is fringed. Teeth fmall, and fharp.

On the upper part of the pectoral fins are three rows of fpines pointing towards the back, crook- ed, like thofe on a fuller's inftrument.

On the tail are three rows of ftrong fpines : the middle row reaches up part of the back. The fail is (lender, and rather longer than the body.

The color of the upper part of the body is pnereous^ marked ufually with numerous black

fpots ;

Class IV. SHAGREEN RAY.

fpots : the lower part is white. This, as well as molt other fpecies of Rays, vary a little in color, according to age.

This grows to a fize equal to the Skate. It is common at Scarborough, where it is called the White Hans, or Gullet.

1MET with this fpecies at Scarborough, where 34. Shag. it is called the French Ray. REEN'

It encreafes to the fize of the Skate *, is fond of Launces, or Sandeels, which it takes greedily as a bait.

The form is narrower than that of the common kinds : the nofe long and very fharp : pupil of the eye, fapphirine : on the nofe are two fhort rows of fpines : on the corner of the eyes another of a femicircular form : on the tail are two rows, con- tinued a little up the back, fmall, (lender, and very fharp : along the fides of the tail is a row of minute fpines, intermixed with innumerable little fpiculte. The upper part of the body is of a cine- reous brown, covered clofely with minute fhagreen- like tubercles, refembling the fkin of the dog-fifli : the under fide of the body is white : from the nofe to the beginning of the pedtoral fins is a tubercu- Jated fpace.

The teeth (lender, and fharp as needles.

G 4 Iaberete ?

88 W H I P R A Y. Class IV.

j | . Whit. Iaberete ? Br a z i l : Marcgrave. 175.

MR. Travis, furgeon at Scarborough, had, in the fummer of 1769, the tail of a Ray brought to him by a fifherman of that town : he had taken it in the fea off the coaft, but flung away the body.

It was above three feet long, extremely flender and taper, and deftitute of a fin at the end. I be- lieve it to belong to the fpecies called by the Brafi- lians Iaberete ; and that it is likewife found in the Sicilian feas. I once received the tail of one from that ifland, correfponding with the defcrip- tion Mr. Travis gave: I muft alfo add, that it was entirely covered with hard obtufe tubercles.

N«£K».

SLKCTKIO RAY

U

. m

A

Class IV. ELECTRIC RAY. $9

ftctoxn. Arijl. Hiji. an. lib. Torpedo. Cramp Fifli. Wit. 36. Elec

V. c 5. IX c. 37. Op- Ictb. 81. Raiijyn. pifc. 28. tric.

//«» Halieut. I. 104. II. Smith's Hiji. Wat erf or dy 271.

56. III. 149. Raia Torpedo. Lin. fyft. Torpedo. Plinii lib. IX. c. 395.

42. Raia tota laevis. Arted. fynon. La Tremble ou Torpille. 102. Grononj. Zooph. No.

Belon 78, 81. 153. tab. 9.

m Torpedo. Rondel. Gefner pifc. Ph. Tr. 1773, 1774.

THE narcotic or numbing quality of this fifli has been taken notice of in all ages : it is fo powerful when the fifh is alive, as inftantly to de- prive the perfon who touches it of the ufe of his arm, and even to affect him if he touches it with a flick. Oppian goes fo far as to fay, that it will be- numb the aftonifhed fifherman, even through the whole length of line and rod.

O

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The hook'd Torpedo ne'er forgets its art, But foon as ftruck begins to play its part, And to the line applies its magic fides, Without delay the fubtile power glides Along the pliant rod, and flender hairs,

Then

9o ELECTRIC RAY. Class IV.

Then to the rimer's hand as fwift repairs : Amaz'd he Hands ; his arm's of fenfe bereft, Down drops the idle rod ; his prey is left : Not lefs benumb'd, than if he had felt the whole Of froft's feverell rage beneath the arftic pole.

But great as its powers are when the fifh is in vigor, they are impaired as it declines in ftrength, and totally ceafe when it expires. They impart no noxious qualities to it as a food, being com- monly eaten by the French, who find them more frequently on their coafts than we do on ours.

Galen affirms, that the meat of the torpedo is of fervice to epileptic patients : and that the fhock of the living fifh applied to the head is efficacious in removing any pains in that part.

We may mention a double ufe in this flrange power the torpedo is endued with; the one, when it is exerted as a means of defence againft vora- cious fifh, who are at a touch deprived of all poffi- bility of feizing their prey.

The other is well explained by Pliny, who tells us, it attains by the fame powers its end in refpect to thofe fifh it wifhes to enfnare. Novit torpedo vimfuam, ipfa non torpens-, merfaque in limo fe cc- cultat pifciwn qui fecuri fupernatantes cbtorpuere, corripiens *.

* " The torpedo is well acquainted with its own powers, cc though itfelf never affe&ed by them. It conceals itfelf in il the mud, and benumbing the fifh that are carelefsly fwim- '■' ming about, makes a ready prey of them."

Bur

Class IV. ELECTRIC RAY.

But the acknowledgements of every naturalift are due to John Walfh, Efquire, for his curious and unwearied refearches into the nature of this fifh ; and for the firft certainty we had of its being a native of our feas. To him I am particularly- bound, for being enabled to correct my errors in the former account,,

Li

IT is frequently taken in Torbay, has been once caught off Pembroke, and fometimes near Water ford in Ireland. It is generally taken, like other fiat fifh, with the trawl ; but there is an in- flance of its taking a bait, which vindicates the hne account that Oppian has left us of this fifh, It commonly lies in water of about forty fa- thoms depth y and in company with the congene- rous Rays.

The torpedo brings forth its young at the autum- nal equinox as affirmed by Ariftotle. A gentleman of la Rochelle, on differing certain females of this fpecies, the ioth of September, found in the ma- trices, feveral of the fcetufes quite formed, and nine eggs, in no (late of forwardnefs : fuperfcetation feems therefore to be a property of this fifh.

The food of the torpedo is fifh •, a furmullet and

a plaife having been found in the flomach of

two of them. The furmullet as a fifh of that

fwiftnefs, that it was impoflible for the torpedo to

take it by purfuit. It is probable, that by their

ek&ric flroke, they flupify their prey \ yet the crab

and fea leech will venture to annoy them,

They

9*

92

ELECTRIC RAY. Class IV.

They will live four and twenty hours out of the fea ; and but very little longer if placed in frefh water.

They inhabit fandy places-, and will bury themfelves fuperficially in it, by flinging the fand over, by a quick flapping of all the extremities. It is in this fituation that the torpedo gives his mod forcible fliock, which throws down the aftonifhed paflfenger, who inadvertently treads upon him.

In our feas it grows to a great fize, and above eighty pounds weight.. My defcription was taken from a fmaller, which I had the pleafure of doing in company with Mr. JValfh.

Its length was eighteen inches from the head to the tip of the tail -> the greateft breadth twelve inches. I could not inform myfelf of the weight of this ; but that of one, that meafured four feet in length, and two and a half in breadth, was fifty-three pounds, avoirdupoife.

The tail was fix inches long ; was pretty thick and round : the caudal fin broad and abrupt.

The head and body, which were indiftincl:, were nearly round ; about two inches thick in the mid- dle, attenuating to extreme thinnefs on the edges : below the body, the ventral fins formed on each fide a quarter of a circle. The two dorfal fins were placed on the trunk of the tail.

The eyes were fmall, placed near each other: behind each was a round fpiracle, with fix fmall

cutaneous rags on their inner circumference.

Mouth

Class IV. T H O R N B A C K. 93

Mouth fmall: teeth minute, fpicular.

Five openings to the gills, as in others of this genus.

The fkin every where fmooth : cinereous brown above; white beneath.

** With blunt Teeth,

La Raye bouclee. Bekn 70. Raia clavata. Lin.JyJf. 297. 37* Thors- Raia clavata. Rondel. 353. Gronov. Zoopb. No. 154. back.

Gefner pifc. 795. R. aculeata dentibus tubercu- Steinroch. Sbone<veIdey 59. loiis, cartilagine tranfverfa

TJiornback. Wil. lab, 74. abdominali. Arted. Jynon.g^,

Rail fyn. pifc* 26. Racka. Faun. Suec. No. 293.

THIS common fifh is eafily diftinguiilied from the others by the rows of ftrong fharp fpines, difpofed along the back and tail. In a large one we faw, were three rows on the back, and five on the tail, all inclining rewards its end.

On the nofe, and on the inner fide of the fore- head, near the eyes, were a few fpines, and others were fcattered without any order on the upper part of the pectoral fins.

The mouth was fmall, and filled with granulated teeth.

The upper part of the body was of a pale afh color, marked with fhort ftreaks of black, and the {kin rough, with fmall tubercles like fhagreen.

The

94

THORNBACK. Class IV.

The belly white, crofTed with a ftrong femilu- nar cartilage beneath the fkin : in general the lower part was fmooth, having only a few fpines on each fide.

The young fifh have very few fpines on them, and their backs are often fpotted with white, and each fpot is encircled with black. Food. This fpecies frequents our fandy fhores, are very

voracious, and feed on all forts of flat fifh, and are particularly fond of herrings and fand eels, and fometimes eat cruftaceous animals, fuch, as crabs.

Thefe fometimes weigh fourteen or fifteen pounds, but with us feldorn exceed that weight.

They begin to generate in June, and bring forth their young in July and Auguft^ which (as well as thofe of the fkate) before they are old enough to breed, are c lied maids. The thornback begins to be in feafon in November^ and continues fo later than fkate, but the young of both are good at ail times of the year.

Tfi/yw

Class IV.

STING RAY.

95

Tfuyccv. Ariil. Hifi. an. lib. VIII. c. 13. IX. 37. Op- pian. Halieut. I. 1 04. II. 462.

PafHnaca Plinii lib. IX. c. 42.

38. La Paftenade de mer, Tour-

terelle, ou Tareronde. Be-

lon 83. Paftinaca. Rondel. 33 J. Gef-

ner pifc. 679.

Wil.

Steckroche. Grone

Scbonevelde, 58. Paftinaca marina lasvis

.pifc. 67. Fire Flaire. Ration, pifc. 24. Raia Paftinaca. Lin.fyfi. 396. Raia corpore glabro, aculeo

longo anterius ferrato, cauda

apterygia . Arted. fy?ion.

1 00. Gronov. Zsopb. No,

158.

Tepel. 38. Sting.

THE weapon with which nature has armed this fifh, hath fupplied the antients with many- tremendous fables relating to it. Pliny, s£lian% and Oppian, have given it a venom that .affects even the inanimate creation : trees that are Crude by it inftantly lofe their verdure and perim, and rocks themfeives are incapable of refitting the potent poi- fon.

The enchantrefs Circe, armed her fon with a fpear headed with the fpine of the Trygon, as the mod irrefiftible weapon me could furnim him with, and with which he afterwards committed parri- cide, unintentionally, on his father Ulyjfes.

That fpears and darts might, in very early times, have been headed with this bone inflead of iron, we have no kind of doubt: that of another fpecies of this fifli being dill ufed to point the ar~

* Hi If. an. lib, II. c.

36,

rows

96 STINGRAY. Class IV.

rows of fome of the South American Indians, and is, from its hardnefs, fharpnefs, and beards, a moil dreadful weapon.

But in refped to its venemous qualities, there is not the left credit to be given to the opinion, though it was believed (as far as it affected the animal world) by Rondeletius, Aldrovand, and other?, and even to this day by the fifhermen in fe- veral parts of the kingdom. It is in fact the wea- pon of offence belonging to the fifh, capable of giv- ing a very bad wound, and which is attended with dangerous fymptoms, when it falls on a tendi- nous part, or on a perfon in a bad habit of bo- dy. As to any fifth having a fpine charged with actual poifon, we mud deny our affent to it, though the report is fanctified by the name of Lin- naus *. Descrip. This fpecies does not grow to the bulk of the o-

thers : that which we examined was two feet nine inches from the tip of the nofe to the end of the tail ; to the origin of the tail one foot three inches ; the breadth one foot eight.

The body is quite fmooth, of a fhape almoft round, and is of a much greater thicknefs, and

* Syfi. Nat. I. 34S. He inflances the Pajlinaca, the Tor* 'pedo, and the Tetrodon /meatus. The firft is incapable of coa» veying a greater injury than what refults from the meer wound. The fecond, from its electric effluvia : and the third, by imparting a pungent pain like the fting of nettles, occalioned by the minute fpines on its abdomen.

more

Class IV. STINGRAY. 97

more elevated form in the middle than any Other Rays^ but grows very thin towards the edges.

The nofe is very fharp pointed, but mortj the mouth fmall, and filled with granulated teeth.

The irides are of a gold color : behind each eye the orifice is very large.

The tail is very thick at the beginning : the fpine Tail* is placed about a third the length of the former from the body, is about five inches long, flat on the top and bottom, very hard, fharp pointed, and the two fides thin, and clofely and iharply bearded the whole way. The tail extends four inches be- yond the end of this fpine, and grows very flender at the extremity.

Thefe fifh are obferved to fhed their fpine, and to renew them annually ; fometimes the new fpine appears before the old one drops off, and the Corni/h call this fpecies Cardinal Trilqft9 or three tailed, when fo circumftanced.

The color of the upper part of the body is a dirty yellow, the middle part of an obfcure blue : the lower fide white, the tail and fpine dufky*

Vol. ML H Slender

9s

ANGEL FISH. Class IV,

VI.

SHARK.

Slender body growing lefs towards the tail.

Two fins on the back.

Rouo-h fkin.

»•

Five apertures on the fides of the neck.

Mouth generally placed far beneath the end of the

nofe. The upper part of the tail longer than the lower.

* Without the anal fin.

39. Angel. P/wi. Arifl. Hijl. an. lib. V.

c. 5, &c. Atkenaus, lib. VII.

^.319. Oppian Halieut. I. 388, 742. Squatina Plin. lib. IX. c. 12. ' Rhina, fc. Squatus. lib.

XXXII. c. 11. L'Ange, ou Angelot de mer.

Be Ion 69. Squatina. Rondel, $6y. Gefner

pifc. 899. Wil, Icth. 79.

Monk, or Angel Fiih. Rail fyn. pifc. 26.

Squalus fquatina. Lin. fyfi. 398. S. pinna ani nulla, caudal duabus, ore termi- nali, naribus cirrofis. Ibid.

Sq. pinna ani carens, ore in apice capitis. Ar ted. fyn. 95.

Gronov. Zooph. Na. 151.

THIS is the fifti which connects the genus of Rays and Sharks, partaking fomething of the character of both ; yet in an exception to each in the fituation of the mouth, which is pla- ced at the extremity of the head.

It is a fifri not unfrequent on molt of our coafts, where it prowls about for prey like others of the kind,. It is extremely voracious, and* like the

Ray,

'%

Class IV, ANGEL FISH. 99

Ray, feeds on flounders and flat fi(h, which keep at the bottom of the water, as we have often found on opening them. It is extremely fierce and dan- gerous to be approached. We knew an inftance Fierceness. of a fifherman, whole leg was terribly tore by a large one of this fpecies, which lay within his nets in {hallow water, and which he went to lay hold of incautioufly.

The afpe£t of thefe, as well as die reft of the genus have much malignity in them : their eyes are oblong, and placed lengthways in their head, funk in it, and overhung by the fkin, and feem fuller of malevolence than fire.

. Their fkin is very rough ; the antients made ufe of it to polifh wood and ivory *, as we do at pre- fent that of the greater dog-fifh. The fleih is now but little efteemed on account of its coarfenefs and ranknefs, yet Archeftratus (as quoted by Atbenaus% p. 319.) (peaking of the filh of Miletus, gives this the firft place in refpecl to its delicacy of the whole cartilaginous tribe.

They grow to a great fize-, we have feen them Descrip, of near an hundred weight.

The head is large, the teeth broad at their bafe, but (lender and very iharp above, and difpofed in five rows all round the jaws. Like thofe of all Sharks, they are capable of being raifed or de- prefied by means of mufcles uniting them to the

* Qua lignum et ebora poliuntu*. Pit nil Uh, IX. c. 12.

H 2 jaws

loo PICKED DOG FISH. Class IV.

jaws, not being lodged in fockets as the teeth of cetaceous fifth are.

The tongue is large ; the eyes fmall ; the pupil of a pale green ; the irides white, fpotted with brown : behind each eye is a femilunar orifice.

The back is of a pale afti color, and very rough j along the middle is a prickly tubeiculated. line : the belly is white and fmooth.

The pectoral fins are very large, and extend horizontally from the body to a great diftance •, they have -fome refemblance to wings, fo writers have given this the name it bears in this work.

The ventral fins are placed in the fame manner, and the double penis is placed in them, which forms another character of the males in this and the laft genus.

The tail is ? bifurcated, the upper lobe rather the loncreft : not very remote from the end on the back are two fins.

40. Picked. 'AxavQfa ya^so;. Arift. Hijl. The picked dog, or hound an. Lib. VI. c. 10. Oppi- fiih. Rail Jyn. pifc. 21.

an Halieut. I. 380. Squalus fpinax. Lin.Jyfi. 397.

YsmwritAthenai, Lib. VII. p. % Pinna ani nulla> dorla-

L' Efguillats. Belon, 61. libus fpinofis, corpore tere-

Galeusacanthias.^WJ. 373. tiufculo. Ibid.

Gefnerpifc. 607. % Pinna anl nulIa» corpore

Sperhaye, Dornhundt. 'Scho- fubrotundo. Arud. fynon.

nevelde, 29. 94*

Galeus acanthias five fpinax. Hai- Faun- Suef- No- 29S«

Wil. lab. 56. Gronov. Zooph. 149.

Name. fT^HE picked dog fifth takes its name from a « X ftrong and Iharp fpine placed juft before each

of

Class IV. BASKING SHARK. lot

of the back fins, diftinguifhing it at once from the reft of the Britifh fharks.

The nofe is long, and extends greatly beyond the Descrip. mouth, but is blunt at the end.

The teeth are difpofed in two rows, are fmall and fharp, and bend from the middle of each jaw towards the corners of the mouth.

The firft back fin is placed nearer the head than the tail •, the other is fituated very near the latter.

The tail is finned for a confiderable fpace be- neath, and the upper part is much the longeft.

The back is of a brownifh am color \ the belly white.

It grows to the weight of about twenty pounds.

This fpecies fwarms on the coafts of Scotland* where it is taken, fplit and dried : and is a food among the common people. It forms a fort of in- ternal commerce, being carried on women's backs, fourteen or fixteen miles up the country, and fold ; or exchanged for neceflaries.

** With the anal fin.

S qu a lu s maximus. Sodden- Gunner Act. Nidros. III. 41. Bask INS.

tibus caninis, pinna dor- 33. Tab. II.

fali anteriore majore. Syft. Sun-fifh. Smith's hift. Corky

nat. 400. II. 292. Hift. Waterford,

Brugden. Squalus maximus. 271.

T

HIS fpecies has been long known to the

inhabitants of the fouth and weft of Ireland

H 3 and

io* BASKING SHARK. Class IV.

and Scotland, and thofe of Caernarvon/hire and Anglefea ; but having never been confidered in any other than a commercial view, has till this time remained undeicribed by any Englijh writer ; and what is worfe, miftaken for and confounded with the luna of Rondeletius, the fame that our Englijh writers call the fun-ffh.

The Irifh and Welch give it the fame name, from its lying as if to fun itfelf on the furface of the wa* ter; and for the fame reafon we have taken the liberty of tailing it the bajking Jhark. It was long taken for a fpecies of whale, till we pointed out the branchial orifices on the fides, and the per- pendicular fite of the tail.

Thefe are migratory fifh, or at left it is but in a certain number of years that they are feen in multi- tudes on the Welch feas, though in mod fummers a tingle and perhaps ftrayed fifh appears. They inhabit the Northern feas, even as high as the arclic circle.

They vifited the bays of Caernarvon/hire and Anglefea in vaft fhoals, in the fummers of 1756% and a few fucceeding years, continuing there only the hot months, for they quitted the coaft about Michaelmas, as if cold weather was difagreeable to them.

They appear in the Firth of Clyde •, and among

* Some old people fay they recoiled!: the fame fort offifli vifiting thefe feas in vaft numbers about forty years ago.

the

Class IV. BASKING SHARK. 103

the Hebrides in the month of June, in fmall droves of feven or eight ; but oftener in pairs. They continue in thofe feas, till the latter end of Jufy9 when they difappear.

They had nothing of the fierce and voracious na- ture of the (hark kind, and were fo tame as to fuf- fer themfelves to be ftroked : they generally lay mo- tionlefs on the furface, commonly on their bellies, but fometimes, like tired fwimmers, on their backs.

Their food feemed to confift entirely of fea Foou. plants, no remains of fifh being ever difcovered in the ftomachs of numbers that were cut up, except fome green ftuff, the half digefted parts of algay and the like. Linnaus fays, it feeds on medufa. .

At certain times they were feen fporting on the waves, and leaping with vaft agility feveral feet out of the water. They fwim very deliberately, with the dorfal fins above water.

Their length was from three to twelve yards* and fometimes even longer.

Their form was rather (lender, like others of the ftiark kind.

The upper jaw was much longer than the lower, and blunt at the end. The mouth placed beneath, and each jaw furnifhed with numbers of fmall teeth : thofe before were much bent, thofe more remote in the jaws were conic and fharp pointed.

On the fides of the neck were five, large tranf- verfe apertures to the gills.

On the back were two fins \ the firft very large, H 4 not;

104 BASKING SHARK. Class IV.

not dire&ly in the middle, but rather nearer the head ; the other fmall, and fituated near the tail. On the lower part were five others -, viz. two pectoral fins; two ventral fins, placed juft beneath the hind fin of the back ; and a fmall anal fin. Near thefe, the male had two genitals, as in other {harks *, and between thefe fins was fituated the pudendum of the female.

The tail was very large, and the upper part remarkably longer than the lower.

The color of the upper part of the body was a deep leaden ; the belly white.

The ikin was rough, like fhagreen, but lefs fo on the belly than the back.

Within fide the mouth, towards the throat, was a very fhort fort of whalebone. Liver, The liver was of a great fize, but that of the

female was the largefi: ; fome weighed above a O i l. thoufand pounds, and yielded a great quantity of pure and fweet oil, fit for lamps, and alfo much ufed by the people who took them, to cure brui- ksy burns, and rheumatic complaints. A large fifh has afforded to the captors a profit of twenty pounds. They were viviparous, a young one a- bout a foot in length being found in the belly of a fifh of this kind.

The meafurements of one, I found dead on the fhore of Jj)ch Ranza in the ifie of Arran^ were as follow. The whole length twenty feven feet, four inches : firft dorfal fin, three feet -9 fecond,

one

ClassIV. BASKING SHARK. 105

one foot ; pectoral fin, four feet ; ventral, two feet : the upper lobe of the tail, five feet -, the lower, three.

They will permit a boat to follow them, with- out accelerating their motion, till it comes almoft within contact ; when a harpooneer ftrikes his wea- pon into them, as near to the gills as pofilble. But they are often fo infenfible, as not to move till the united ftrength of two men have forced in the harpoon deeper. As foon as they perceive them- felves wounded, they fling up their tail and plunge headlong to the bottom ; and frequently coil the rope round them in their agonies, attempting to difengage the harpoon from them by rolling on the ground, for it is often found greatly bent.

As foon as they difcover that their efforts are in vain, they fwim away with amazing rapidity, and with fuch violence, that there has been an inftance of a veffel of feventy tons having been towed away againft a frefh. gale. They fometimes run oft with two hundred fathoms of line, and with two har- poons in them *, and will employ the fifhers for twelve, and fometimes twenty four hours before they are fubdued. When killed, they are either hawled on more, or if at a difrance from land, to the veffel's fide. The liver (the only ufeful part) is taken out, and melted into, oil in kettles pro- vided for that purpofe. A large fifh will yield eight barrels of oil ; and two of worthlefs fedement.

The fifhers obferved on them a fort of leech of

a reddifh

I06 WHITE SHARK. Class IV.

a reddifh color, and about two feet long, but which fell off when the fifti was brought to the furface of the water, and left a white mark on the fkin.

42. White, hun'ia*. Arifi. Hiji. an. Lib.

V. c. 5. IX. c. 37. Aa(/.vv. Oppian Halieut, I.

370. V. 36. Kaqxctfias Kvav. At ben. Lib.

VII. p. 310. Lamia ? Plinii, Lib. IX. c. 24. Le chien carcharien ou Perlz

fifch de Norvege. Belo?iy

52, S7.

Lamia. Tiburo. Rondel. 489,

39°- Canis Carcharias. Gefner pifc.

173-

White Shark. Wil. Iah. 47.

Raiijyn. pifc. 18. Squalus carcharias. Sq. dorfo

piano dentibus ferratis,

Lin.fyfi. 400. Arted. Jynon. 89. Grono<v> No. 143.

Size.

THIS grows to a very great bulk, Gillius fays, to the weight of four thoufand pounds ; and that in the belly of one was found a human corps entire, which is far from incredible, confidering their vaft greedinefs after human flefh.

They are the dread of the failors in all hot cli- mates, where they conftantly attend the fnips iri expectation of what may drop overboard; a man that has that misfortune perifhes without redempti- on : they have been feen to dart at him, like gud- geons to a worm. A matter of a Guinea fhip in- formed me, that a rage of fuicide prevailed among his new bought flaves, from a notion the unhap- py creatures had, that after death they fhould be

reftored

Class IV. WHITE SHARK, 107

reftored again to their families, friends, and conn- try. To convince them at left that they mould not re-animate their bodies, he ordered one of their corpfes to be tied by the heels to a rope, and lowered into the fea, and though it was drawn up again as faft as the united force of the crew could be exerted, yet in that fhort fpace the fharks had devoured every part but the feet, which were fecu- red at the end of the cord.

Swimmers very often perifh by them ; fome- times they lofe an arm or leg, and fometimes are bit quite afunder, ferving but for two morfels for this ravenous animal : a melancholy tale of this kind is related in a Weft India ballad, preferved in Doctor Percy's Reliques of ancient Englijh Poetry *1

The mouth of this fifh is furnifhed with (fome- times) a fixfold row of teeth, flat, triangular, exceedingly fharp at their edges, and finely fer- rated. We have one that is rather more than an inch and an half long. Grew f fays, that thofe in the jaws of a mark two yards in length, are not half an inch, fo that the fifh to which mine belong- ed muft have been fix yards long, provided the teeth and body keep pace in their growth J.

This dreadful apparatus, when the Mm is in a

? Vol I. 331. f Rarities y 91.

\ Fcflil teeth of this fifh are very frequent in Malta, Tome of which are four inches long.

ftate

,oS WHITE SHARK. Class IV.

ftate of repofe, lie quite flat in the mouth, but when he feizes his prey, he has power of erecting them, by the help of a fet of mufcles that join them to the jaw.

The mouth is placed far beneath, for which reafon thefe, as well as the reft of the kind, are faid to be obliged to turn on their backs to feize their prey, which is an obfervation as antient as the days of Pliny *.

The eyes are large •, the back broad, flat, and fhorter than that of other fharks. The tail is of a femilunar form, but the upper part is longer than the lower. It has vaft ftrength in the tail, and can ftrike with great force, fo that the fail- ors inftantly cut it off with an axe as foon as they draw one on board.

The pectoral fins are very large, which enables it to fwim with great fwiftnefs.

The color of the whole body and fins is a light afh.

The antients were acquainted with this fifli ; and Oppian gives a long and entertaining account of its capture. Their flefh is fometimes eaten, but is ef- teemed both coarfe and rank.

* Omnia autem carnwora funt talia et fupina vefcantur. lib. IX. c. 24.

Th<xvK&

Class IV. B L U E S H A R K. 409

Thaw.©-. JEUan an. Lib. I. Squalus fofTula triangular! in 43, Blui, c' 16. extremo dorfo, foraminibus

Galeus gkucus. Rondel. 378. nullis ad oculos. Arted. fyn. Gejner pifc. 609. 98.

Blew ihark Wil. Idh. 49. Squalus glaucus. Lin. fyjl. Ran fyn. pifc. 20. 40 1.

JULIAN relates ftrange things of the affecti- on this ipecies bears to its young: among others, he fays, that it will permit the fmall brood, when in danger, to fwim down its mouth, and take fhelter in its belly. This faft has been fmce confirmed by the obfervation of one of our bed idthyologifts *, and is no more incredible, than that the young of the OpcJJum mould feek an afy- lum in the ventral pouch of its parent, a fact too well known to be contefled. But this degree of care is not peculiar to the blue mark, but we be- lieve common to the whole genus.

This fpecies frequents many of our coafts, but particularly thofe of Cornwall during the pilchard feafon, and is at that time taken with great iron hooks made on purpofe.

It is of an oblong form : the nofe extends far be- Descrip. yond the mouth : it wants the orifices behind the eyes, which are nfual in this genus : the nollrils are long, and placely tranfverfely. Artedi remarks a triangular dent in the lower part of the back.

* RondeUtiuSy 38$.

The

no LONG-TAILED SHARK. Class IV.

The fkin is fmoother than that of other fharks : the back is of a fine blue color; the belly of a filvery white.

Linnaeus fays, that its teeth are granulated \ for our part we muft confefs it is a fifli that has not come under our examination, therefore hope to be favored with an accurate defcription from fome naturalift, who lives on the coaft it haunts.

We may add, that Rondeletius fays he was an eye-witnefs to its fondnefs for human fiefh: that thefe fifti are lefs deftructive in our feas, is owing to the coolnefs of the climate, which is well known ro abate the flercenefs of fome, as well as the venom of other animals.

44. Long- AXw'zrfif ? Arift»HiJl. an. Lib. Cercus Caii opufc. no.

tailed. IX. c. 37. JElian Var. Sea Fox, or Ape. Wil. Iclb,

Hift. Lib. I. c. 5. 54. Rail fyn. pifc. 20.

Oppian Halieut, I. 381. III. Squalus Cauda longiore quam

144. ipfum corpus. Arted. fyn,

Vulpes Plinit Lib. IX. c. 43. 96.

Singe de mer. Belon, 88. Sea Fox. Threfher. Borla/e

Vulpes marina. Rondel. 337. Cornwall. 265. Gefner pifc. 1 045.

Tail, 'TpHIS fifh is moft remarkable for the great

"*" length of the tail : the whole meafure of that

we had an opportunity of examining, was thirteen

feet> of which the tail alone was more than fix,

the

>\ • ftsi

a -.-,■•

Class IV. TOPE. ui

the upper lobe extending greatly beyond the lower, almoft in a (trait line.

The body was round and fhort : the nofe fhort but fharp pointed i the eyes large, and placed im- mediately over the corners of the mouth, which was fmall, and not very diftant from the end of the nofe.

The teeth are triangular, and fmall for the fize of the fifh, and placed in three rows.

The back afh color : the belly white : the fkin univerfally fmooth.

The antients ftyled this fifh A^tteI, and Vulpes^ from its fuppofed cunning. They believed, that when it had the misfortune to have taken a bait, it fwallowed the hook till it got at the cord, which it bit off, and fo efcaped.

They are fometimes taken in our feas, and have been imagined to be the fifh called the ^Threjher, from its attacking and beating the Grampus with its long tail, whenever that fpecies of whale rifes to the furface to breathe.

Ki/av? Ariji. Hift. an. Lib. The Tope. Wil. lab. 51. 45. Tope,

VI. c. II. Rail fyn, pifc. 20.

Canicula ? Plinii Lib. IX. c. Squalus naribus ori vicinis ;

46. foramittibus exiguis ad o-

Le chien ds mer, ou Cani- culos. Arted. fynon. 97.

cule. Belon, 65. Squalus galeus. Lin.Jyji. 399.

Canis galeus. Rondel. 377. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 142.

Gefner pifc. 167.

O

NE that was taken on our coaft the lad year Size, weighed twenty feven pounds, and its length

was

ii2 TOP E. Class IV.

was five feet-, but they grew to a greater fize, fome, according to Artedius^ weighing an hundred pounds.

The color of the upper part of the body and fins was a light cinereous •, the belly white.

The nofe was very long, flat, and (harp point- ed i beyond the noftrils femitraniparent. The nof- trils were placed very near the mouth.

Behind each eye was a fmall orifice. The teeth were numerous, difpofed in three rows, fmall, very fharp, triangular, and ferrated on their inner edge.

The firft back fin was placed about eighteen inches from the head ; the other very near the tail.

The tail finned beneath, the upper part ended in a fharp angle.

This fpecies is faid by Rondeletius to be very fierce and voracious, even to purfue its prey to the edge of the more.

Its fkin and flefri has an offenfive rank fmell ; therefore we fuppofe Mr. Bale gave it ironically the title of Sweet William *.

Hift. Harwich, 420.

N£?ic%f

Class IV. SPOTTED DOG FISH.

u3

Arift. Hijl. an. Lib. V. c. lO. VI. c. 10, II. TIoiki'Kqc ? Oppian Halieut. I.

381. La RoufTete commune. Belon.

65.

Canicula Arijiotelis. Rondel.

380. Gefner pifc. 168. Catulus major vulgaris. #7/. Greater Cat fifh. £far. 289.

lab. 62.

Greater Cat Fifh : the Bounce. 46. Spotted

Rati fyn. pifc. 2 2 . Squalus ex rufo varius, pinna

ani medio inter anum et

caudem pinnatum. Arted.

fyn. 97. Squalus canicula, Lin. fyft.

399. Gronov. Zooph. No.

145.

*nplHIIS fpecies being remarkably fpotted, may "** be the fame known to antients by the names exprefTed in the fynonyms -, but they fo frequently leave fuch flight notices of the animals they men- tion, that we are often obliged to add a doubt- ful mark (?) to numbers of them.

The weight of one we took was fix pounds three Descrif, ounces, and yet it meafured three feet eight inches in length ; fo light are the cartilaginous fifh in refpedt to their fize.

The nofe was ftiort, and very blunt, not ex- tending above an inch and an half beyond the mouth. The noftrils were large, placed near the mouth, and covered with a large angular flap : the head very flat.

The eyes were oblong, behind each a large orifice opening to the infide of the mouth.

The teeth fmall, fharp, fmooth at their fides? ftrait, and difpofed in four rows.

Vol. III. I Both

ii4 SPOTTED DOG FISH. Class IV.

Both the back fins were placed much behind, and nearer the tail than in common.

The tail was finned, and below extended into a (harp angle.

The color of the whole upper part of the bo- dy, and the fins, was brown, marked with numbers of large diftincl black fpots : fome parts of the (kin were tinged with red ; the belly was white.

The whole was moil remarkably round, and had a ftrong fmell.

The tendrils that iiTue from each end of the purfe of this fifh, are much more delicate and (lender than thofe of any other % are as fine as Indian grafs, and very much refemble it.

The female of this fpecies, and we believe of other (harks, is greatly fuperior in fize to the male ; fo that in this refpect there is an agreement be- tween the fifh and the birds of prey*. They bring about nineteen young at a time : the fiihermen believe that they breed at all times of the year, as they fcarce ever take any but what are with young.

To this kind may be added, as a meer variety, the

Catulus maximus. WiU Ittb. 63. Rait fyn. pifc. 22. Squalus cinereus, pinnis ventralibus difcretis. Arted.Jyn, 97, Squalus fleljaris. Lin.Jyft. 399. No. 145. Grono<v. Zooph,

* Vide Britijb Zoology, Vol.l, 1 30.

The

V

Class IV. LESSER SPOTTED DOG FISH. 115

The chief difference feeming to be in the color and the fize of the fpots ; the former being grey, the latter fewer but larger than in the other.

Le mufcarol ? Belon, 64. ventralibusconcretis. Arted. 47- Lesser

Catulus minor. VVil. Idh.6\. fynon. 97. SPOTTED.

LefTer Rough Hound, or Mor- Squalus catulus. Lin.fyft. 400.

gay Rail fyn. pifc. 22. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 144. Squalus dorfo vario, pinnis

'TpHE weight of one that was brought to us by A a fifherman was only one pound twelve ounces ♦, the length two feet two inches : it is of a (lender make in all parts.

The head was flat : the noftrils covered with a long flap : the nofe blunt, and marked beneath with numerous fmall punctures : behind each eye was a fmall orifice: the back fins, like thofe of the former, placed far behind.

The ventral fins are united, forming as if it were but one, which is a fure mark of this fpecies.

The tail finned like that of the greater dog fifh.

The color is cinereous, (freaked in fome parts with red, and generally marked with numbers of fmall black fpots \ but we have obferved in fome that they are very faint and obfcure.

The belly is white.

This fpecies breeds from nine to thirteen young 1 2 at

n5 SMOOTH HOUND. Class IV.

at a time, is very numerous on fome of our coafh, and very injurious to the fifheries.

Smooth. Tata©- Ksio; ? Arift. Hift. an.

Lib. VI. c. 10. Oppi-

an, Lib. I. 380. Galeus lsevis. Rondel. 37 '5.

Gefner pifc. 608. Muftelus lsevis primus. j^7/.

i&&. 60.

Smooth or unprickly hound.

Raii fyn. pifc. 22. Squalus dentibus obtufis feur

granulofis. Arted.fyn. 93. Squalus muftelus. £/«. 2i/?°

400. Groncv. Zoopb. No.

14,2.

^TpHIS fpecies is. called fmooth, not that the

A fkin is really fo, but becaufe it wants the

fpines on the back, which are the character of the

iecond fpecies, the Picked Dog.

The nofe extends far beyond the mouth, and'

the end blunt : the holes behind the eyes are fmall -,

the back is lefs flat than that of others of this genus.

The firft back fin is placed midway above the pectoral and ventral fins: the pectoral fins are fmall.

The tail forked, but the upper part is much the longed.

The teeth refemble thofe of a Ray, rough and fharp.

The color of the back and fides afh, and free from fpots v the belly filvery.

The

05

0Q

Class IV. PORBEAGLE. 117

The Porbeagle. Borlafe Cornwall, 265. Tab. 26. 49- Po^ea

GLE,

^TpHE figure of this fifh, engraved after a draw- ing by the Rev. Mr. J ago *, is preferved -in Doctor Borlafe's Natural Hiftory of Cornwall

As it is not attended with any account farther than that it is a Cornijh fifh, and a fmall fpecies of (hark, we are obliged to form the beft defcrip- tion we can from the print.

The nofe appears to be very long, (lender to- wards the end, and fharp pointed. The mouth placed far beneath \ the body very thick and deep, but extremely (lender juit at the fetting on of the tail.

The firft back fin is placed almoft in the mid- dle, the other pretty near the tail,

The belly very deep : the ventral and anal fins fmall.

The tail bifurcated ; the upper fork a little longer than the lower.

* This gentleman was minifter of Loo, in Cornwall, and appears to have been well acquainted with the Hiftory of Fifh. He communicated figures of feveral of the Cornijh fifh,, with a brief account of each to Petl-ver, at whofe in- stance, as Doctor Derham tells us, in the preface to Mr. Ray's Itineraries, p. 6g, he added them to the Synopfis Avium e: pifcium, p. 162. A few others of his drawings are alfo pre- ferved in the Natural Hiftory of Cornwall, and feem to be executed with (kill and accuracy.

1 3 THIS

ill BEAUMARIS. Class IV.

|o. Beau- ^T^HIS fpecies was obferved by my friend the

Rev. Mr. Hugh Davies of Beaumaris, who

favored me with the defcription, and an accurate

drawing made from the fifh taken in a neighboring

wear.

The length was feven feet. The fnout and body of a cylindrical form. The greateft circumference four feet eight inches.

The nofe blunt. The noftrils fmall. The mouth armed with three rows of (lender teeth*, flatted on each fide, very (harp, and furni fined at the bafe with two fharp proceffes. The teeth are fixed to the jaws by certain mufcles, and are liable to be raifed or depreffed at pleafure.

The firft dorfal fin was two feet eight inches difcant from the fnout, of a triangular form : the fecond very fmall, and placed near the tail.

The pectoral fins ftrong and large : the ventral and anal fmall.

The fpace between the fecond dorfal fin and the tail much depreffed ♦, the fides forming an acute angle. Above and below was a tranfverfe foffule or dent.

The tail was in the form of a crefcent, but the

* Thefe teeth are often found foffil, and are ftyled by Lluyd Qmithoglofluniy from their refemblance to a bird's tongue.

horns

Class IV. BEAUMARIS. u9

horns of unequal lengths : the upper one foot ten inches ; the lower one foot one.

The whole fifh was a lead color. The fkin com- paratively fmooth, being far lefs rough than that of the lefTer fpecies of this genus.

1 4 One

120

COMMON ANGLER. Class IV.

VII. ANGLER,

One aperture behind each ventral fin.

Large, flat, and circular head and body.

Teeth numerous and fmall in the jaws, roof of the

mouth, and on the tongue. Pectoral fins broad and thick.

51. Common. Bctrgaxo$- Arifi. Uift. an. Seheganfs, feheteuffel, fehe Lib. IV. c. 37. Oppian tode. Schonevelde, 59. Halieut. II. 86. Rana pifcatrix. Ovid. Ha- lieut. 126. Plinii Lib. IX.

c. 24. La Grenouille de mer, ou

Toad-fifh, Fro^-fifh, or Sea- Devil. Wil.^lah. 85. Rait fyn.pifc. 29. Lophius ore cirrofo* Arted. Jyn. 87._

pefcheufe. Le Diable de Lophius pifcatorius. Lin. Jyji, mer, Bauldroy & Pefche- 402.

teau. Belon, 77. L. p. depreffus capite rotun-

Rana pifcatrix. Rondel. 363. 4ato. Faun. Suec. No. 298. Gefner pifc* 8 1 3. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 207.

Namj» f 1 ^HIS lingular fifh was known to the an- 1 tients by the name of B«t^%©-5 and Rana3 and to us by that of the fifhing frog, for it is of a figure refembling that animal in a tadpole ftate. Pliny takes notice of the artifice ufed by it to take its prey : Eminentia fub oculis cornicula turbato limo exerit, ajfultantes pifciculos attrahens^ donee tarn prope aecedant, ut qfliliat. " It puts forth the " flender horns it has beneath its eyes, enticing \\ by that means the little filli to play round, till

I! tney

HI

JV?6l.

COIMIJVKXSr jHJNXxLEIV

WJrW'&imj U

a I

Class IV. COMMON ANGLER, 121

" they come within reach, when it fprings on them*."

The fifhing frog grows to a large fize, fome be- De3CRi*« ing between four and five feet in length , and we have heard of one fallen near Scarborough^ whofe mouth was a yard wide. The fifhermen on that coaft have a great regard for this fifh, from a fup- pofition that it is a great enemy to the dog fifh -f-, and whenever they take it with their lines fet it at liberty.

It is a filh of very great deformity : the head is much bigger than the whole body, is round at the circumference, and flat above : the mouth of a prodigious widenefs.

The under jaw is much longer than the upper : the jaws are full of flender fharp teeth : in the roof of the mouth are two or three rows of the fame : at the root of the tongue, oppofite each other, are two bones of an elliptical form, thick kt7 with very (Irong fharp teeth.

The noftrils do not appear externally, but in the upper part of the mouth are two large orifices that ferve inftead of them.

* Cicero, in his fccond book ~De Natura Deqrum, gives much {he fame account of this fifh : Ranee autem marina di- cuntur obruere fefe arena fulere, et tnQveri prop} aquam, ad quas, quaji ad efca?n, pijces cum accejferinty confici a ranis, at- que confumi.

t The bodies of thefe fierce and voracious iiih are often found in the ftomach of the Fijhing Frog,

On

COMMON ANGLER. Class IV.

On each fide the upper jaw are two fharp fpines, and others are fcattered about the upper part of the head.

Immediately above the nofe are two long tough filaments, and on the back three others ; thefe are what Pliny calls cornicula^ and fays it makes ufe of to attract the little fifh. They feem to me like lines flung out for that end: I therefore have changed the old name of Fishing Frog for the more fimple one of Angler.

Along the edges of the head and body are a multitude of fhort fringed ikins, placed at equal diftances.

The ventral fins are broad, thick, and flefhy, are jointed like arms, and within fide divided into fingers.

The aperture to the gills is placed behind, each of thefe is very wide, fo that fome writers have imagined it to be a receptacle for the young in time of danger.

The back fin is placed very low near the begin- ning of the tail : the anal ^.w is placed beneath, al- moit oppofite the former.

The body grows (lender near the tail, the end of which is quite even.

The color of the upper part of this fifh is duikvj the lower part white \ the fkin fmooth.

Fifliing

Class IV. L O N G A N G L E R. 123

Fifning Frog of Mount's-Bay. Borla/e Cornwall, 266. Tab. C2. Long. 27.^.6. PM. ?>•*»/ Vol. LIU. 170.

THIS is a fpecies at prefent unknown to us, ex- cept by defcription.

It is, fays Doctor Bcrlafe, of a longer form than the common kind : the head more bony, rough, and aculeated. It had no finlike appendages round the head, but on each fide the thinner part of the body, beginning beneath the dorfal fin, and reach- ing within two inches of the tail, was a feries of them, each three quarters of an inch in length.

At the end of the pectoral fins were fpines an inch and three quarters in length ; at the end of the tail others three quarters of an inch long.

One

124

STURGEON.

Class IV,

VIIL STUR- One narrow aperture on each fide. GEON. ,

The mouth placed far below, tubular and without

teeth.

The body long, and often angular.

53. Stur- geon.

Ovktko;. Athen. Lib. VIII. 315. A'tiJii7rn<nos ? Athen. p.

294- Acipenfer? Plinii Lib. IX.

c. 17. Gvidii Halieut : ? L' Efturgeon. Belon, 89. Acipenfer. Rondel 410. Gef-

7ier pifc. 2. Sturio. Gefner pifc. Stoer. Schoncvelde, 9. Sturgeon. Wil. Iclh. 239.

Rati fyn. pifc. 112. Schirk. Kram 383. Acipenfer corpore tuberculi? fpinofis exafperato. Art ed. fyn.

V-

Acipenfer flurio. Lin. fyft* 403. Muf Ad. Fred. 54.. Tab. 18. /£. 2.

Stor. Faun. Suec. No. 299.

Seb. Muf. III. 101. Tab. 29. No. 19.

THAT this is the 'Owo-zw; of Dorion, as quo- ted by Atbenceus^ is very probable, as well from the account he gives of its form, as of its na- ture. He fays its mouth is always open, with which it agrees with the Sturgeon, and that it con- ceals itfelf in the hot months : this mews it to be a fifli of a cold nature, which is confirmed by the hiftory of the European filh of this fpecies, given by Mr. Forfter*, in his Eflay on' the Volga, who relates that they are fcarce ever found in that river

* Phil Tranf. LVII. 352,

I*

(

Class IV. STURGEON. 125

in fpring or fummer, but in vaft quantities in au- tumn and winter, when they cr5wd from the fea under the ice, and are then taken in great numbers. Whether the acipenfer is the fturgeon of the moderns, may be doubted, otherwife Ovid would never have fpoke of it as a foreign fifh ;

Tuque peregrinis, Acipenfer , nobilis undis. And, thou, a fifh in foreign feas renowned.

It being well known that it is not uncommon in the Mediterranean, and even in the mouth of the Tiber, at certain feafons; but this paffage leaves us as much in the dark as to the particular fpe- cies intended, by the word acipenfer, as the de- fcription Pliny has given us ; for that philofopher relates, that its fcales are placed in a contrary direc- tion to thofe of other fifi^ being turned towards the mouth* which difagrees with the character of all that are known at prefent. Whatever Mi it might be, it was certainly the fame with the Elops, or Helops, as appears from Pliny, who makes it fyno- nimous with the acipenfer*, and from another line of the poet beforementioned :

Et pretiofus Helops nofiris inccgnitus undis. The pretious Helops flranger to our feas.

A-

The fturgeon annually afcends our rivers, but in Migk no great numbers, and is taken by accident in the

* Quidam eum Ehpem vocant. Lib. IX. c, 17.

falmon

126 STURGEON. Class IV,

falmon nets. It feems a fpiritlefs fifh, making no manner of refiftance when entangled, but is drawn out of the water like a lifelefs lump. It is a fifh that is feldom taken far out at fea, but frequents fuch parts as are not remote from the seftuaries of great rivers. It is admired for the delicacy and firmnefs of its ftefh, which is white as veal, and extremely good when roafted. It is ge- nerally pickled. The moil we receive comes either from the Baltic rivers, or North America: thofe cured at Pillau have been, till of late, in thegreateft repute •, but through the encouragement given by the fociety inftituted for promoting trade and ma- nufactures, the fturgeon from our colonies begins to rival thofe of the Baltic.

Great numbers are taken during fummer in the lakes Frifcbebaff, and Curifcb- h aff near Pillau, in large nets made of fmall cord. The adjacent fhores are formed into diftricts, and farmed out to companies of fifhermen, fome of which are rent- ed for fix thoufand guilders, or near three hundred pounds per annum.

They are found in vaft abundance in the American rivers in May, June, and July, at which time they leap fome yards out of the water, and falling on their fides, make a noife to be heard in (till wea- ther at fome miles diftance*.

Caviare is made of the roes of this, and alfo of

* Catejby Carol. App. 33.

all

Class IV. STURGEON. 127

all the other forts of fturgeons, dried, faked, and packed up clofe. The beft is faid to be made of thofe of the Sterlet *, a fmall fpeeies frequent in the Talk and Volga. Icthyocolla f, or ifing-glafs, is alio made of the found of our fifh, as well as that of the others, but the Beluga affords the beft J.

The fturgeon grows to a great fize, to the rjESCRI? length of eighteen hct, and to the weight of five hundred pounds, but it is feldom taken in our rivers of that bulk. The largeft we have known caught in thofe of Great Britain weighed four hundred and fixty pounds, which was taken about two years ago in the E/k, where they are more fre- quently found than in our fouthern waters.

* Strahlenberg's Hiji. Rnjjia, 337.

f Phil. Tranf. LVII. 354. A very fmall quantity is made from this fpeeies, and that only defigned as prefents to great men, as Mr. Forfler afTured me.

% The antients were acquainted with the fifh that afford- ed this drug. Pliny lib. XXXII. c. 7. mentions it under the name of Icthyocolla, and fays, that the glue that was produced from it had the fame title ; and afterwards adds, that it was made out of the belly of the fifh. The Mario, faid by Pliny lib. IX. c. 15. to be found in the Danube and the Boryjlhenes, was certainly of this genus, a cartilaginous fifh (nullis ojfibu; fpinifve interfitis) refembling a fmall porpeffe (Porculo marino Jimillimus ;) and very probably may be the fame with the Belu- ga, which, according to Mr. Forfler, Phil. Tranf. LVII. 354. has a fhort blunt nofe, agreeing in that refpect with the por- peffe.

The

128 STDRG'EO N. Class IV.

The nofe is very long, (lender, and ends in a point. The eyes are extremely fmall -, the noftrils placed near them : on the lower part of the nofe are four cirri or beards : the mouth is fituated far beneath, is fmall, and unfupported by any jaw bones ; neither has it any teeth. The mouth of a dead fifh is always open. When alive it can clofe or open it at pleafure, by means of certain mufcles.

The body is long, pentagonal, and covered with five rows of large bony tubercles : one row of which is placed on the back, and two on each fide. The whole under fide of the fifh, from the end of the nofe to the vents, is flat -, on the back, not remote from the tail, is a fingle fin. It has befides two pectoral fins, two ventral, and one anal fin. The tail is bifurcated, but the upper part much longer than the lower.

The upper part of the body is of a dirty olive color ; the lower part filvery -9 the middle of the tubercles white.

In the manner of breeding it is an exception a- mong the cartilaginous fifh, being like the bony fifh oviparous, fpawning in winter.

A very

Class IV. OBLONG DIODON, 129

A very deep body, and as if cue off in the middle. IX.

Mouth fmall. ' D10D0N-

Two teeth only in each jaw.

Sun-Fifli from Mount's-Bay. Oftracion lasvis. Gronov. 54- Oblong* Borlafe Cornwall, 268. tab. Zooph. No. 185.

26. Jig. 7.

JjONDELETIUS has given this genus the fy- -*■*- nonym of Ortkragorifcus, as if it was that which Pliny * intended by the fame name ; but the account left us by that naturalift is fo brief, that we do not think ourfelves authorized to place it as a fynonymous creature. He fays no more than that it was the greateft of fifh, and that it grunted when it was firft taken, from which pro- bably role the name, for according to Athenaus, c^ayo?™©- -f was that given to a young pig. We are inclined to believe, that this fifh had efcaped the notice of Pliny, otherwife he muft have unavoidably made fome remark on its finking figure.

This fifti grows to a great bulk : that which SliJS» was examined by Sahianusf was above a hun-

* Lib. XXXII. c. 2. f Lib. IV. p. 140.

X Hjft. Pifc. 155. Vol. III. K dred

*3°:

OBLONG DIODON. Class IV,

dred pounds in weight : and Doctor Borlafe men- tions another taken at Plymouth in 1734, that weighed five hundred. Dlscrip. jn forni it refembles a bream, or fome deep fifh cut off in the middle. The mouth is very fmall, and contains in each jaw two broad teeth, with fharp edges.

The eyes are little •, before each is a fmall fe- milunar aperture ; the pectoral Ens very fmall, and placed behind them. The dorfal fin and the anal fin are high, and placed at the extremity of the body : the tail fin is narrow, and fills all the ab- rupt fpace between thofe two fins.

The color of the back is dufky, and dappled ; the belly filvery : between the eyes and the pectoral fins are certain ftreaks pointing downwards. The Hs:in is free from fcales.

When boiled, it has been obferved to turn into a glutinous jelly, refembling boiled ftarch when cold, and ferved the purpofes of glue, on being tried on paper and leather. The meat of this fifli is uncommonly rank : it feeds on (hell-fim.

There feems to be no fatisfactory reafon for the old Englijh name. Care muft be taken not to confound it with the fun-fifh of the MJb% which differs in all refpects from this*

Orthragorifcus

Class IV. SHORT D I A D O N.

*3*

Orthragorifcus five Luna

pifcis. Rondel. 424. Mola Salviani, the Sun-fifh.

TViL Icth. 151. Rati fyn,

pi/ciju Oflracion cathetoplateus fub-

Tetraodon mola. T. lams, compreirus, cauda truncata, pinna breviffima dorfali a- nalique annexa. Lin. fyft% 412. Gronov. 7Looph. No. 186.

rotundus inermis afper, Brunnich pifc. MaJ/il. No. 16.

pinnis pe&oralibus hori- Sun-fifh, from Loo. Borlafe

zontalibus,foraminibusqua- Cornwall, 267. tab* 26.

tuor in capite. Arted. fy- Jig. 6.

nox. 83.

55. Short,

THIS differs from the former, in being much fhorter and deeper. The back and the anal fins are higher, and the aperture to the gills not femilunar, but oval. The fnuation of the fins are the fame in both.

This fpecies was taken off Penzance, and is en- graved in Doctor Borlafe's Natural Hiftory of Cornwall, from one of Mr. Jago's drawings. Both kinds are taken on the weftern coafts of this king- dom, but in much greater numbers in the warmer parts of Europe.

Mr. Brunnich informs us, that between Antibes and Genoa, he faw one of this fpecies lie afleep on the furface of the water : a fajlor jumped over- board and caught it.

K2

Tetraodon

132 GLOBE DIODON, Class IV.

56. Globe. Tetraodon lasvigatus. Lin, fyfi. 411.

THIS fpecies is common to Europe and &?#/& Carolina. As yet only a fingle fpecimen has been difcovered in our feas \ taken at Penzance in Cornwall.

The length was one foot feven : the length of the belly, when di (tended, one foot -, the whole cir- cumference in that fituation tv/o feet fix.

The form of the body is ufually oblong, but when alarmed it has the power of inflating the bel- ly to a globular fhape of great fize. This feems de- figned as a means of defence againft fifh of prey : as they have lefs means of laying hold of it -, and are befides terrified by the numbers of fpines with which that part is armed ; and which are capable of being erected on every part.

The mouth is fmall : the irides white, tinged with red : the back from head to tail almoft ftrair, or at leaft very (lightly elevated •> of a rich deep blue color. It has the pectoral, but wants the ven- tral fins. The dorfal is placed low on the back -9 the anal is oppofite : the tail almoft even divided by an angular projection in the middle : tail and fins brown.

The belly and fides are white, friagreened or wrinkled ; and befet with innumerable fmall lharp fpines, adhering to the fkin by four procefies.

Thick

n.:xxx

2f? &]

LUMP SUOKEE

III

JP?S4

Class IV. LUMP SUCKER. 133

Thick body, arched back. X.

Ventral fins united. . SUCKER-

Four branchioftegous rays.

Lumpus anglorum. Gefner 87. Gronov. Zooph. No. 57 • Lump.

Paralip. 25. 197.

Seehaefs, HafFpodde. Scbo- Cyclopterus Lumpus. C. cor-

nevelde. 41. pore fquamis offeis angula-

Lump, or Sea-Owl, Scotis to. Lin, fyfi. 414.

Cock paddle. Wil. Ictb. Sjurygg-fifk, Stenbir, Quabb-

208. Raiijyn.pifc. Jj. fu. Faun, Suec. No. 320. Cyclopterus. Arted. Jymn.

T

HIS (insular filh encreafes to the weight of

feven pounds, and the length of nineteen inches : the lhape of the body is like that of the bream, deep and very thick, and it fwims edge- ways. The back is fharp and elevated, the belly flat.

The irides are of a cherry color ; lips, mouth, Descrip, and tongue, of a deeper red: the jaws lined with innumerable fmall teeth •, the tongue very thick ; along the ridge of the back is a row of large bony tubercles \ from above the eye to with- in a fmall fpace of the tail is another row ; beneath that a third, commencing at the gills ; and on each fide the belly a fourth row, confiding of five tu- bercles like the other : the whole fkin is rough, with fmall tubercles.

K 3 Qn

i34 LUMP SUCKER. Class IV.

On the upper part of the back is a thick ridge improperly called a fin, being deftitute of fpines ; beneath that is the dorfal fin, of a brownifh hue, reaching within an inch of the tail : on the belly, juft oppofite, is another of the fame form-. The belly is of a bright crimfon color : the pectoral fins are large and broad, almoft uniting at their bafe. Beneath thefe is the part by which it adheres to the rocks, &c. It confifts of an oval aperture, fur- rounded with a flefhy mufcular and obtufe foft fubftance, edged with fmall threaded appendages, which concur as fo many clafpers : tail and vent fins purple.

By means of this part it adheres with vaft force to any thing it pleafes. As a proof of its tena- city we have known, that on flinging a fifh of this fpecies juft caught, into a pail t)f water, it fixed itfelf fo firmly to the bottom, that on taking the fiih by the tail, the whole pail by that means was lifted, though it held fome gallons, and that with- out removing the fifh from its hold.

Thefe fifh refort in multitudes during fpring to the coaft of Sutherland, near the Ord of Caith- nefs. The feals which fwarm beneath, prey great- ly on them, leaving the fkins ; numbers of which thus emptied float at that feafon afhore. It is eafy to diftinguifh the place where feals are devouring this or any unctuous fifh, by a fmoothnefs of the water immediately above the fpot : this fact is now eftablifhedj it being a tried property of oil to

ftil}

Class IV. UNCTUOUS SUCKER. ijj

ftill the agitation of the waves, and render them fmooth *.

Great numbers of thefe filh are found in the Greenland feas during the months of April and May, when they refort near the fhore to fpawn. Their roe is remarkably large, which the Greenlanders boil to a pulp, and eat. They are extremely fat, which recommends them the more to the natives* who admire all oily food : they call them Nipifets, or Cat-fijh, and take quantities of them during the feafon -f.

This fifli is fometimes eaten in England, being ftewed like carp, but is both flabby and infipid.

Liparis? Rondel. 272. Gefner Cyclopterus Liparis C. cor- r 8. Uwc-

pifc. 483. pore nudo, pinnis dorfali tuous^

Liparis noflras Dunelm et Ebo- anali caudalique unitis. Lin.

rac. Sea Snail. Wil Icth. fyji. 414.

App. 17. Rati fyn. pifc. 74. Cyclogafler. Gronov. Zoopl\

Pet. Gaz. tab. 51. fig. 5. No.. 198. Liparis. Arted. fynon. 177.

^TpHIS fifh takes the name of fea fnail from the -^ foft and unctuous texture of its body, reiem- bling that of the land fnail. It is almoft transpa- rent, and foon dilTolves and melts away.

It is found in the fea near the mouths of great rivers. We have feen it in January full of fpawn,

* Philof. Tranf. 1774. p. 445. f Crant^s Hill. Greenland z I. 96.

K 4 The

J36 UNCTUOUS SUCKER. Class IV.

Descrip. The length is five inches : the color when frefh taken a pale brown, fometimes finely (creaked with a darker ; the fliape of the body round, but near the tail comprefTed Tideways: the belly is white and very protuberant.

The head is large, thick, and round. There are no teeth in the mouth, butthejaws are very rough : the tongue very large : the eyes very fmall.

The orifice to the gills is very fmall. It has fix branchioftegous rays.

The pectoral fins are very broad, thin, and tranfparent, and almofi unite under the throat. The fir ft ray next the throat is very long, extends far beyond the reft, and is as fine as a hair. Over the bafe of each is a fort of operculum, or lid, ending in a point : this is capable of being raifed or deprefTed at pleafure.

Behind the head begins the dorfal fin, which extends quite to the end of the tail : the ventral fin begins at the anus, and unites with the other at the tail.

Beneath the throat is a round deprefiion of a whitifh color, like the impreftion of a feal, fur- rounded with twelve fmall pale yellow tubera, by which it is probable it adheres to the ftones like the' other fpecies.

Lefler

BIMAC FLATTED SUCKER.

4rp

JURA STICKER .

Class IV. J U R A S U C K E R. itf

LefTer Sucking Fifh. Borlafe Lepadogafter. Le Barbier ou 59. Jura. Nat. Hiji. Corneal, 269. Porteecuelle. Gouan pifc. Tab. xxv. Jig. 28. 177. Tab. 1. Jig. 6, 7.

rr^HIS fpecies is found in CornwaL I alfo dif- ■*• covered it in the Sound of Jura.

Its length is about four inches. The Ikin without fcales, flippery, and of a duiky color. The body taper. The nofe grows (lenderer from the head, and ends round.

The teeth fmall. Before each eye is a fmall fi-. lament. Behind the eyes are two femilunar marks.

In the middle of the back an oval mark form- ed by fmall dots, of a whitifti color. The dorfai fin lies near the tail, and confifts of eleven rays ; the anal is placed oppofite, and has nine rays. The tail is rounded. The ventral have four rays, are joined by an intervening membrane with an oval deprefllon in the middle. Beyond that is a- nother ftrong membrane with a fimilar depreffion. By means of thefe inftruments it adheres to (tones or rocks.

Nofc

i*8 XONGER PIPE. Class IV.

XI. Nofe long and tubular. PIPE

" No orifice to the gills :

The breathing aperture on the hind part of the head.

No ventral fins.

The body covered with a ftrong cruft.

60. Longer. Acqs Arifiotdis cauda fer- gulo, pinna cauda? carens ?

pentina. Sib. Scot. 24. Tab. Artcd. Spec, 3.

19. Syngnathus barbarus. S. pin-

Typhle altera. Ge/ker fife. nis caudse anique nullis,

1025. corpore fexangulato ? Lin.

Syngnathus cotpore quadran- fyji. 417.

THIS fpecies, defcribed by Sir Robert Sib- bald, was two feet in length ; that we ex- amined only Oxteen inches.

The nofe was an inch long, comprefTed tideways, and the end of the lower mandible turned up : the aperture of the mouth was very fmall.

The irides were red; behind each eye was a deep brown line.

The body, in the thickeft part, was about equaj to a fwan's quil, hexangular from the end of the dorfal fin -9 from thence to the tail quadrangular. The belly was (lightly carinated, and marked along she middle with a dufky line. Under the tail com- mencing at the anus is a fulcus or groove, fix

inches

Si

&

H

Class IV. LONGER PIPE. 139

inches and a half long, covered by tv/o longitudi- nal valves which concealed a multitude of young fifh. On crufhing this part, hundreds may be o.bferved to crawl out.

The general color of the fifh was an olive brown : the fides marked with numbers of bluifh lines point- ing from the back to the belly, which, in dried fifh, feemed like the figns of fo many joints. Thofe in a frefli fubject ceafed beyond the vent; all beyond that was fpotted with brown.

The dorfal fin was narrow and thin, confiding of forty rays, was two inches long, and placed ra- ther nearer to the head than the tail.

The vent was feven inches from the tip of the nofe -, the body to that orifice was of an equal thicknefs, but from thence tapered to a very fmall point, having no mark of a fin.

The pectoral fins had twelve rays ; the anal three.

When this fifh and the next fpecies are dried, they appear covered with numbers of angular crufls, finely radiated from their centre.

As we waat a generical name in our language for this genus, we call it the Pipe Fifi, from its, (lender bodv.

L?Oruei}l

,4o SHORTER PIPE. Class IV.

&. Shorter. L' Orueul marin. Belon, 4.4.6. heptagono, cauda pinnata.

Acus fecunda fpecies, five, Arted. fynon. 2.

acus Ariflotelis. Rondel. 229. Syngnathus acus. S. pinnis

Typhle. Gefner fife. 1025. caudae ani pectoralibufque

Trummeter, Meherfchlange. radiatis, corpore feptem-

Schone<velde, II. angulato. Lin.fyjl. 416.

Acus Ariftotelis feu fecunda. Kantnahl. i^/z. Suec.No. 376.

JF/7. /*?£. 158. Rait Jyn. Syngnathus cauda pinnata,

fife. 47. Grono<v. Zoofh. No. 172.

Syngnathus corpore medio Sea-adder. B 'or lafeComw. 267.

THIS is (hotter and thicker than the former, yet I have ieen one of the length of fixteen inches. The middle of the body in fome is hexan- gular, in others heptangular. Linnaus conftitutes two fpecies of them, his Syngnathus Typble, and his Syngnathus Acus ; but we join with Doctor Gronovius, in thinking them only varieties of the fame fifli.

The mouth is formed like that of the former : the irides are yellow : clofe behind the head are the pectoral fins, which are fmall and fhort.

On the lower part of the back is one narrow fin ; beyond the vent the tail commences, which is long and quadrangular.

At the extremity is a fin round and radiated.

The body is covered with a ftrong cruft, ele- gantly divided into fmall compartments.

The belly is white ; the other parts brown.

Befides thefe fpecies of hard-fkinned Pipe fifli,

we

Class IV. LITTLE PIPE. 141

we have been informed, that the Syngathus Hippo- campus of Linnaeus, or what the Englijh improperly call the fea horfe, has been found on the fouthem fhores of this kingdom.

Acui Ariftotelis congener pif- toralibus caudaque carens. 62. Little,

ciculus, pueris Cornubien- Arted. fynon. 2.

fibus Sea Adder, Acus Lum- Syngnathusophidion. Lin.fyji,

briciformis, aut Serpenti- 4*7«

num. Wil. Itth. 160. Rati Hafsnahl, Tangfnipa. Fauu,

Jyn. pifc. Suec, No. 375. Syngnathus teres, pinnis pec-

THE little pipe fifh feldom exceeds five inches in length, is very (lender, and tapers off to a point. It wants both the pectoral and tail fins ; is covered with a fmooth fkin, not with a crufl: as the two former kinds are.

The nofe is fhort and turns a little up ; the eyes prominent.

On the back is one narrow fin.

This fpecies is not viviparous : on the belly of the female is a long hollow, to which adhere the eggs, difpofed in two or three rows. They are large, and not numerous.

The fynonym of Serpent is ufed in feveral lan- guages to exprefs thefe fifh : the French call one fpecies Orueul, from a fort of fnake not unlike the blindworm : the Germans call it Meherfchlange •> and the Cornijh^ the fea adder.

D 1 v.

J4* E E Lc Class IV.

Div. III. BONY FISH.

S e c t. I. APODAL.

XII. Body long, fiender, and flippery. Noftrils tubular.

Back, ventral, and tail fins, united. Aperture to the gills fmall, and placed behind the

pectoral fins. Ten branchioftegous rays.

53. Common. Ey%^ ^ fJ.^ ^ ^ The Eel# mL pifi% Raii

IV. c. 11. VI. 14. 16. fyn.pifc. 37.

Oppian Halieut. I. 516. IV. Murama unicolor maxilla in-

45-°- feriore longiore. Arttd. fyn.

Angtiilla Plinii Lib, IX. c . 2 1 . 39.

L'Anguille. Belon, 291. Obf. Murama anguilla. Lin. fyjl.

55' 426. Grotiov. Zaoph. No.

Anguilla. Rondel, fwv. 198. 166.

Gefner pifc. 40. Ahl. /V*«*. &^r. N0< 3QI>

Ael. Schonevelde, 14. Aal. jKtvww. 387.

THE eel is a very lingular iilh in feveral things that relate to its natural hiftory, and in ibme refpe&s borders on the nature of the reptile tribe.

It is known to quit its element, and during night to wander along the meadows, not only for

change

Class IV. E E

M3

change of habitation, but alfo for the fake of prey, feeding on the fnails it finds in its paflage.

During winter it beds itfelf deep in the mud, and continues in a (late of reft like the ferpent kind. It is very impatient of cold, and will ea- gerly take fhelter in a whifp of ftraw flung into a pond in fevere weather, which has fometimes been praclifed as a method of taking them. Albertus* goes fo far as to fay, that he has known eels to fhelter in a hay- rick, yet all perifhed through ex- cefs of cold.

It has been obferved, that in the river Nynej^ there ;s a variety of fmall eel, with a leffer head and narrower mouth than the common kind, that it is found in cluflers in the bottom of the river, and is called the Bed- eel : thefe are fometimes roufed up by violent floods, and are never found at that time with meat in their flomachs. This bears fuch an analogy with the cluttering of biindworms in their quief- cent (late, that we cannot but confider it as a fur<- ther proof of a partial agreement in the nature of the two genera.

The ancients adopted a moft wild opinion about Gekbra* the generation of thefe fifli, believing them to be either created from the mud, or that the fcrapings

* Gefncr pifc. 45.

f Morton's Hijl, Northampt. 419. Pliny obfervesr that the eels of the lake Benacus coiled: together in the fame manner in the month of Odober, poffibly to retreat from the winter's eold, Lib, ix* c. zz,

Of

TION*

144 EEL. Class IV.

of their bodies which they left on the ftones, -- were animated and became young eels. Some mo- derns gave into thefe opinions, and into others" that were equally extravagant. They could not account for the appearance of thefe flfh in ponds that never were flocked with them, and that were even fo remote as to make their being met with in fuch places a phenomenon that they could not folve. But there is much reafon to believe, that many waters are fupplied with thefe fifh by the aquatic fowl of prey, in the fame manner as vegetation is fpread by many of the land birds, either by being dropped as they carry them to feed their young, or by palling quick thro' their bodies, as is the cafe with herons ; and fuch may be occafion of the appearance of thefe fifh in places where they were never feen before. As to their immediate genera- Vivipa- tion, it has been fufficiently proved to be effe&ed in the ordinary courfe of nature, and that they are viviparous.

They are extremely voracious, and very deftruc- tive to the fry of fill).

No lifh lives fo long out of water as the eel : it is extremely tenacious of life, as its parts will move a confiderable time after they are flayed and cut in- to pieces. Descrip. The eel is placed by Linnaus in the genus of Murana^ his firft of the apodal fifh, or fuch which want the ventral fins.

The eyes are placed not remote from the end of

the

Class IV. E E L. J45

the nofe : the irides are tinged with red : the un- der jaw is longer than the upper: the teeth are fmall, (harp, and numerous : beneath each eye is a minute orifice : at the end of the nofe two o- thers, fmall and tubular.

The fifh is furniflied with a pair of pectoral fins, rounded at their ends. Another narrow fin on the back, uniting with that of the tail y and the anal fin joins it in the fame manner beneath.

Behind the pectoral fins is the orifice to the gills, which are concealed in the fkin.

Eels vary much in their colors, from a footy hue Silver to a light olive green -, and thofe which are called filver eels, have their bellies white, and a remark- able clearnefs throughout.

Befides thefe there is another variety of this fifh known in the Thames by the name of Grigs, and Grigs about Oxford by that of Grigs or Gluts. Thefe are fcarce ever {ten near Oxford in the winter, but appear in fpring, and bite readily at the hook, which common eels in that neighbourhood will not. They have a larger head, a blunter nofe, thicker fkin, and lefs fat than the common fort ; neither are they fo much efteemed, nor do they often ex- ceed three or four pounds in weight.

Common eels grow to a large fize, fometimes fo great as to weigh fifteen or twenty pounds, but that is extremely rare. As to inftances brought by Dale and others, of thefe fifh encreafing to a fuperior magnitude, we have much reafon to fufped

Vol. III. I. them

146 EEL. Class IV.

them to have been congers, fince the enormous fifh they defcribe, have all been taken at the mouths of the Thames or Medway,

The eel is the mod univerfal of fifh, yet is fcarce ever found in the Danube, tho' it is very common in the lakes and rivers of Upper Aufiria.

The Romans held this fifh very cheap, probably from its likenefs to a fnake.

Vos anguilla manet longae cognatacolubrx*, Vernula riparum pinguis torrente cloaca.

For you, is kept a fink-fed fnake-like eel.

On the contrary, the luxurious Sybarites were fo fond of thefe fifh, as to exempt from every kind of tribute the perfons who fold them f.

* Juvenal. Sat. v. 10 3.

f Athenaus. Lib. xii. t. C21.

17

A,\*

Kcyyfoi.

Class IV.

CONGER.

'47

Kfrfyfoc. Arift. Hijl. an. lib.

I. &c. Toyypog Oppian Halieut. I.

113. 521. Conger. O-vidii Halieut. 115.

Plinii lib. IX. c. 16. 20. Le Congre. Belon 159. Conger. Rondel. 394. Gefner

pifc. 290. The Conger, or Conger Eel.

Wil Icth. III. Rail fyn. °4* Conger,

f*F- 37-

Murasnafupremo margine pin- nae dorfalis nigro. Arted. fynon. 40.

Murasna Conger. M. roftio tentaculis duobus, linea la- terali ex pundtis albida. Lin. Jyft. 426.

>*TpHE conger grows to a vaft fize. Doctor Size*

■*; Bcrlafe, to whom we are obliged for feveral informations relating to this fpecies, aftures us, that they are fometimes taken near Mounts-Bay of one hundred pounds weight *.

. They differ from the common eel in the follow- Descrip. ing particulars : i. Their color in general is more dark. 2. Their eyes much larger in proportion. 3. The irides of a bright filvery color. 4. The lower jaw is rather fhorter than the upper. 5. The fide line is broad, whitilh, and marked with a row of fmall fpots ; Mr. Ray fays a double row, but we did not obferve it in the fifli we examined.

6. The edges of the dorfal and anal fins are black.

7. They have more bones than the common eel,

* We have heard of fome taken near Scarborough that were ten feet and a half long, and eighteen inches in circumference in the thickeit part.

L 2 efpecially

143 CONGER. Class IV.

especially along the back quite to the head. 8. They grow to a much larger fize.

As to the diftinftion that Mr. Ray, and other writers, make of the fmall beards at the end of the nofe, we think it not to be depended on, being fometimes found in both kinds, and fometimes entirely wanting.

We believe they generate like the frefh-water fpecies : innumerable quantities, of what are fup- pofed to be their fry, come up the Severn about the month of April, preceding the Shads, which it is conjectured migrate into that river to feed on them : Eeverj* they are called Elvers. They quite fwarm during their feafon, and are taken in a kind of fieve made of hair-cloth, fixed to a long pole ; the fifher- man (landing on the edge of the water during the tide, puts in his net as far as he can reach, and drawing it out again takes multitudes at every fweep, and will take as many during one tide as will fill a bufhel. They are drefled, and reckoned very delicate.

Congers are extremely voracious, preying on other fifh, and on crabs at the time they have loft their ihell, and are in a foft ftate. They and eels in general are alfo particularly fond of carcaflfes of any kind, being frequently found lodged in fuch that are accidentally taken up.

Thefe ififh. are an article of commerce in Corn- wall; numbers are taken on that coaft, and ex- ported to Spain and Portugal^ particularly to Bar-

celona*

Class IV. CONGER. 149

celona. The quantities that were fent from Mount's- Bay for five years, were as follow :

Cwt.

qr.

Ih

1756

46

0

13

1757

164

0

21

1758

164

I

3

*759

213

0

3

1760

7*

3

0

Some are taken by a fingle hook and line, but Capture* (becaufe that way is tedious, and does not anfwer the expence of time and labour) they are chiefly caught by Butters, which are flrong lines five hun- dred feet long, with fixty hooks, each eight feet afunder, baited with pilchards or mackrel: the Butters are funk to the ground by a (tone fattened to them : fometimes fuch a number of thefe are tied together as to reach a mile.

We have been told that the fifhermen are very fearful of a large conger, lead it fhould endanger their legs by clinging round them ; they therefore kill them as foon as pofllble by ftriking them on the navel.

They are afterwards cured in this manner: they C*i are flit, and hung on a frame till they dry, hav- ing a confiderable quantity of fat, which it is ne- ceifary fhould exude before they are fit for ufe. It is remarkable that a conger of a hundred weight will wafte by drying to twenty-four pounds -, the h 3 P€0Ple

«-5°

CONGER. Class IV.

people therefore prefer the fmalleft, pofnbly be- caufe they are fooneft cured. During the procefs there is a confiderable flench ; and it is laid that in the fifbing villages the poultry are fed with the maggots that drop from the fifh.

The Portuguefe and Spaniards ufe thofe dried congers after they have been ground into a powder, to thicken and give a reliiri to their foups. We think they are fold for about forty (billings the quintal, which weighs one hundred and twenty-fix pounds.

A fifhery of congers would be of great advan- tage to the inhabitants of the Hebrides. Perhaps they would at firit undertake it with repugnancy, from their abfurd averiion to the eel kind.

Blunt

$

*

si

Class IV.

WOLF FISH.

151

Blunt head : lone; body. XIII.

WOLF One dorfal fin reaching almoft from the head to FISH.

the tail.

Fore teeth conic and large.

Grinders flat and round.

Seven branchioftegous rays.

Anarrhicas. Gefner Paralip. 4. Lupus marinus Caii cpu/c.

Lupus marinus noftras, quern

incolte Wolff. Scbcne-velde,

45. Tab. 5. Cat-Fiih. Sib. Scot. III. 25.

Tab. 16. Wolf Fifh, Sea Wolf, or

Woof. Wil. lab. 1 30. Rail

fyn.pifc. 40. Steen-bider. Pontop. Norway,

II. 151. Kigutihk i. e. dentatus.

Crantz's Greenl. I. 96. Anarhichas. Arted. fynon. 39. Anarhichas Lupus. Lin.fyji.

43°- Zee Wolf. Gronov. Muf. No. 44. Zooph. No. 400.

6$. Rave- nous.

THIS fifh. feems to be confined to the northern parts of the globe. We find it in the feas of Greenland, in thofe of Iceland * and Norway, on the coafts of Scotland, and of York- Jhire, and laftly, in that part of the German ocean, which wafhes the fhores of Holland, the moft fouthern of its haunts we can with any certainty mention.

Place,

* Where it is called Steinbeijfer. Scbonevelde, 45.

L4

it

i$2 WOLF FIS H. Glass IV.

It is a mod ravenous and fierce fifh, and when taken fattens on any thing within its reach : the fimermen dreading its bite, endeavor as foon as poftible to beat out its fore teeth, and then kill it by (hiking it behind the head. Schonevelde relates, that its bite is fo hard that it will feize on an an- chor, and leave the marks of its teeth in it -, and the Danifh and German names of Steenbider and Steinbeijfer, exprefs the fenfe of its great flrength, as if it was capable of crufhing even (tones with its jaws. Fooc It feeds almoft entirely on cruftaceous animals,

and (hell fi(h, fuch as crabs, lobfters, prawns, mufcles, fcollops, large whelks, &c. thefe it grinds to pieces with its teeth, and fwallows with the iefTer fheils. It does not appear they are di.ftblved in the (lomach, but are voided with the foeces, for which purpofe the aperture of the anus is wider than in other fifa of the fame fize.

It is full of roe in February, March, and April, and fpawns in May and June.

This fiih has fo difagreeable and horrid an ap- pearance, that nobody at Scarborough except the fimermen will eat it, and they prefer it to holibut. They always before dreffing take off the head and (kin. Sizs. xhe fea wolf grows to a large fize: thofe on the

York/hire coaft are fometimes found of the length of four fctty and, according to Doctor Gronovius, have been taken near Shetland kven feet long, and

even

Class IV. WOLF FISH,

even more. That which we examined was three feet two inches and an half from the tip of the nofe to the end of the tail : the length of the head was eight inches, from the gills to the vent, ten ; from thence to the tip of the tail, twenty and one half

The circumference of the head was feventeen inches, at the moulders twenty, but near the tail Only four and a half.

Its weight was twenty pounds and a quarter. The "head is a little flatted on the top : the nofe blunt ; the nofrrils very fmall ; the eyes fmall, and placed near the end of the nofe. Irides pale yellow.

The teeth are very remarkable, and finely a- Teeth, dapLed to its way of life, The fore teeth are flrong, conical, diverging a little from each other, (land far out of the jaws, and are commonly fix above, and the fame below, though fometimes there are only five in each jaw : theie are fupporred within* fide by a row of lelfer teeth, which makes the num- ber in the upper jaw feventeen or eighteen, in the lower eleven or twelve.

The fides of the under jaw are convex inward?, which greatly adds to their flrength, and at the fame time allows room for the large mufcles with which the head of this fiiTi is furnifhed.

The denies molar es, or grinding teeth of the under jaw, are higher on the outer than the inner edges, which inclines their furfaces inward : they join to

the

Hi

,54 WOLF FISH, Class IV.

the canine teeth in that jaw, but in the upper are feparate from them.

In the centre are two rows of flat ftrong teeth, fixed on an oblong bafis upon the bones of the pa- late and nofe. Bufonites. Thefe and the other grinding teeth are often found foffil, and in that ftate called Bufonites? or Toad-ftones : they were formerly much efteemed for their imaginary virtues, and were fet in gold, and worn as rings.

The two bones that form the under jaw are united before by a loofe cartilage, which mecha- nifm admitting of a motion from fide to fide, mod evidently contributes to the defign of the whole, viz. a facility of breaking, grinding, and commi- nuting its teftaceous and cruftaceous food. At the entrance of the gullet, above and below, are two echinated bones : thefe are very fmall, being the lefs necefiary, as the food is in a great meafure comminuted in the mouth by aid of the grinders.

The body is long, and a little comprefifed fide- ways ; the fkin fmooth and flippery : it wants the lateral line.

The pectoral fins confift of eighteen rays, are five inches long, and feven and a quarter broad.

The dorfal fin extends from the hind part of the head almoft to the tail ; the rays in the frefh fifii are not vifible.

The anal fin extends as far as the dorfal fin.

The

Class IV. W O L F F I S H. 155

The tail is round at its end, and confifts of thir- teen rays.

The fides, back, and fins, are of a livid lead Color. color ; the two firft marked downwards with irre- gular obfcure dufky lines : thefe in different fifh have different appearances. The young are of a greenifh cad, refembling the fea wrack, which they refide amongft for fome time after their birth.

We think ourfelves much indebted to Mr. Travis, Surgeon, at Scarborough, for his ingenious remarks on this nfh, as well as on feveral others that frequent that coaft, being a gentleman much /killed in icthyology, and extremely liberal in com- municating his knowlege.

Head

56 L A U N C E. Class IV.

XIV. Head (lender.

LAUNCE.

Body long and fquare.

Upper lip doubled in.

Dorfal and anal fin reaching almoft to the tail.

Seven branchioftegous rays.

66* Sand. Ammodytes pifcis, ut nos Sand Eels, or Launces. Rati

vocavimus pro anglico San- fyn. pifc. 38, 165.

dilz. Gefner paralip. 3. Ammodytes. Arted, fynon 29.

Tobian, vel Tobias Sandtfpir- Ammodytes Tobianus. Lin.

ing. Schone-velde, 76. fyfi. 430.

Ammodytes Gefneri, Wil. Ictb* Tobis. Faun. Suec. 302. Gro-

113. #o<v. Zoopb. No. 404.

THE launce is found on moft of our fandy fhores during fome of the furnmer months : it conceals itfelf on the recefs of the tides beneath the fand, in fuch places where the water is left, at the depth of about a foot, and are in fome places dug out, in others drawn up by means of a hook con- trived for that purpofe. They are commonly ufed for baits for other fim, but they are alfo very delicate eating.

Thefe fifh are found in the (lomachs of the Por- pejfe, an argument that the lad roots up the fand with its nofe as hogs do the ground. Sijbe. They grow fometimes the length of nine or ten

inches i

tfl H

c

2

Class IV. L A U N C E.

inches : the females are longer and tenderer than the males.

The form of the body is fquare, the fides are rounded, and the angles not (harp : it is neverthe- lefs long and (lender.

The head is fmall and taper; the under jaw much longer than the upper : the upper jaw is moveable, capable of being protruded, fo that when open the gape is very wide.

The irides are filvery.

The dorfal fin runs almoft the whole length of the back, is very narrow, and confifts of fifty- eight rays : the pectoral fins fmall, and have twelve : the anus is placed much nearer the tail than the head, is narrow, and extends almoft to the former.

The tail is forked, but the lobes rounded at their extremities.

The color of the back is blue, varying with green : on each fide the back is a narrow dufky line or two. The fides and belly are filvery •, the late- ral line flrait.

*57

Small

158 MORRIS. Class IV.

XV. Small head

MORRIS.

Body extremely thin, comprefTed Tideways, No pectoral fins.

6y. Angle- Leptocephalus. Gronov. Zoopb, No. 409. tab, 13. fig, 3.

SEA.

/nr^HIS fpecies was difcovered in the fea near A Holyhead by the late Mr. William Morris, and, in memory of our worthy friend, we have given it his name. On receiving it from Mr. Mor- ris, we communicated it to that accurate Icthyo- logift, Doctor Laurence Theodore Gronovius, of Ley- den, who has defcribed it in his Zoophylacium, under the title of Leptocephalus, or fmall head. Descrip. The length was four inches ; the head very fmall ; the body comprefTed Tideways, extremely thin, and almoft tranTparent, about the tenth of an inch thick, and in the deepefl part about one-third of an inch; towards the tail it grew more flender, and ended in a point ; towards the head it floped down, the head lying far beneath the level of the back.

The eyes large ; the teeth in both jaws very fmall.

The lateral line ftrait : the Tides marked with oblique ftrokes, that met at the lateral line.

The

Class IV, MORRIS. 153

The aperture to the gills large.

It wanted the pectoral, ventral, and caudal fins : the dorfal fin was extremely low, and thin, extend- ing the whole length of the back very near the tail. The anal fin was of the fame delicacy, and extended to the fame diftance from the anus.

The

i6o

SWORD FISH. Class IV.

XVI.

SWORD

FISH.

The upper jaw extending to a great length,

hard, (lender, and pointed. No teeth.

Eight branchioftegous rays. Slender body.

68 . S I c I L I A n S if lag. Ariji. Hifl. an. lib. II. c.lj. VIII. c. 19. Op- pi an Halieut. lib. II, 462.

in. 442.

Xiphias. Ovid Halieut. 97. Xiphi-as, i. e Gladius Plinii

lib. XXXII. c. 2 *. L'Heron de mer, ou grand

Efpadaz. Belon, 102. Xiphias. Rondel. 251. Xiphias, i. e. Gladius pif-

cis. Gefner fife. 1049.

Caii of ufc. 104. Schwert fiiche. Scbonevelde,

35. Sword Fifh. Wil Icth.

161. Rait fyn. fife, 52. Xiphias. Arted. fynon. 47. Xiphias Gladius. Lin. fyfl.

432- Swerd-fifk. Faun. Suec. No.

3°3-

THIS fifh fometimes frequents our coafts, but is much more common in the Mediterra- Place. man fea, efpecially in the part that feparates Italy from Sicily, which has been long celebrated for it: the promontory Peforus*, now Capo di Faro, was a place noted for the refort of the Xiphias, and poflibly theftation of the fpeculatores, or the perfons who watched and gave notice of the approach of the fifh.

* Athena us, 314.

The

Class IV. S W O R D F I S H. 161

The antient method of taking them is particu- Captv**. larly defcribed by Strabo*, and agrees exactly with that pnacYifed by the moderns.

A man afcends one of the cliffs that overhangs the fea: as foon as he fpies the fifh, he gives notice either by his voice, or by figns, of the courfe it takes. Another, that is Rationed in a boar, climbs up the maft, and on feeing the fword fifh, directs the rowers towards it. As foon as he thinks they are got within reach, he defcends, and tak- ing a fpear in his hand, flrikes it into the fifh, which, after wearying itfelf with its agitation, is feized and drawn into the boat. It is much efleem- ed by the Sicilians, who buy it up eagerly, and at its firft coming into feafon give about fix-pence Englijh per pound. . The feafon lafts from May till Auguft\. The antients ufed to cut this fifh into pieces, and fait it, whence it was called Tomus Thurianus J, from Thurii, a town in the bay of Ta- rentum, where it was taken and cured,

Kircher, in his Mufurgia, has preferved a ftrange incantation ufed by the Sicilian fifhermen, at the capture of the Pefce Spada, as they call it, which is exprefifed in the following unintelligible jargon :

* LiL I. /. 16.

f Ray's Travels, I. 27 J.

J Tomus Thurianus, quern alii Xiphiam <vocant. PHnii lib* XXXII. r. j i.

Vol, III. M Mamafli*

%6x SWORD FISH. Class IT*

Mamaffu di pajanu, Paletta di pajanu, Majuffu di ftignela, Palettu di paenu pale, Pale la ftagnetta, Mancuta lligneta. Pro naftu, vardu, preflu da Vifu & da terra*

But this ufe of charmed words is not confined to Sicily -, the Irijh have their fong at the taking of the razor mell*, and the Cornijh theirs, at the taking of the whittle fifli.

The fword fifh is faid to be very voracious, and that it is a great enemy to the Tunny, who (ac- cording to Belon) are as much terrified with it as fheep are at the fight of a wolf.

Ac durus Xiphias, iftu non mitior enfts ; Et pavidi magno fugientes agmine Thunni.

Ovid. Halieut. 97.

Sharp as a fword the Xiphias does appear ; And crowds of flying Tunnies ftruck with fear.

Si as. It grows to a very large fize ; the head of one,

with the pectoral fins, found on the more near Laugharn, in Caermarthenjhire^ alone weighing fe- venty-five pounds : the fnout was three feet long, rough, and hard, but not hard enough to pene- trate fhips and fink them, as Pliny pretends *

* Xiphiam, id eft, Gladium, roftro mucronato ejfe, ah hoc ■naves psrfojfas mergi inocea.no, Plin, Lib, xxxn. c, 11.

The

Class IV. SWORD FISH, 163

The fnout is the upper jaw, produced to a Snout, great length, and has fome refemblance to a fword, from whence the name It is comprefTed at the top and bottom, and fharp at the point. The under jaw is four times as more as the upper, but likewife fharp pointed. The mouth is defticute of teeth.

The body is (lender, thickeft near the head, and growing lefs and lefs as it approaches the tail.

The fkin is rough, but very thin : the color of the back is dufky, of the belly filvery.

The dorfal fin begins a little above the gills, and extends almoft to the tail : it is higheft at the be- ginning and the end, but very low in the middle : a little above the tail, on each fide, the fkin rifes and forms two triangular protuberances, not unlike the fpurious fins of the tunny.

The pectoral fins are long, and of a fey the- like form, and their firft rays the longeft.

The anus is placed at the diftance of one-third part of the body from the tail ; beneath are two anal fins.

The tail is exactly of the fhape of a crefcent.

M 2 Ssct

1 64

GEMMEOUS DRAGONET. Class IV.

E C T,

II.

JUGULAR.

XVII. DRAGO- NET.

Upper lip doubled.

Eyes near each other.

Two breathing apertures on the hind part of the

head. Firft rays of the dorfal fin very long.

6g. Gem me- La tierce efpece de Exocetus ? OUS. JBelon, 218.

Dracunculus. Rondel. 304.

Dracunculus, aranei fpecies altera. Gefner pifc. 80.

Dragon fifh. Marten's Spitz- berg, 123.

Yellow Gurnard. Phil. Tranf. No. 293.

Lyra Harvicenfis. Pet. Gax, Tab. 22. Dale Harwich, 431.

Callionymus Lyra. C. dor- falis prioris radiis longitu- dine corporis. Lin.Jyfi. 433. Faun. Suec. No. 110.

Uranofcopus. Grononj. Zooph. No. 206.

Floy-fifke. Po?itop. Norway,

II. III.

Dracunculus marinus. Borlafe Cornwall, 270. Seb. Muf,

III. 92. Tab. 30. fig. 7.

Name,

T INNsEUS has given this genus the name of m*-4 Callionymus, a fifh mentioned by feveral of the antients •, but the notices they have left of it are fo very flight, as to render it difficult to deter- mine what fpecies they intended. * Pliny makes it a fynonym to the Uranofcopus, a fifh frequent in the Italian feas, but very different from our Dragonet, a

Lib.

XXXII. C. II

name

Class IV. GEMMEOUS DRAGONET. 165

name we have taken the liberty of forming, from the diminutive Dracunculus, a title given it by Rondeletius, and other authors. The Englijh wri- ters have called it the Yellow Gurnard, which having no one character of the Gurnard genus, we think ourfelves obliged to drop that name.

It is found as far north as Norway* and Spitz- Place. bergen, and as far fouth as the Mediterranean fea, and is not unfrequent on the Scarborough coafts, where it is taken by the hook in thirty or forty fa- thoms water. It is often found in the ftomach of the Cod-fifh.

This fpecies grows to the length of ten or twelve Descrif. inches : the body is (lender, rounds and fmooth.

The head is large, and flat at the top ; in the hind part are two orifices, thro' which it breathes, and alfo forces out the water it takes in at the mouth, in the fame manner as the cetaceous fifh.

The apertures to the gills are doled : on the end of the bones that cover them is a very fingular trifurcated fpine.

The eyes are large, and placed very near each other on the upper part of the head, fo that they look upwards ^ for which reafonithas been ranked

* We have received it, with other curiofities, from that well-meaning prelate, Erich Pontoppidan, Bifhop of Bergen. He was alfo Vice-Chancellor of the Univerfity of Copenhagen, in which ftation he died, December 20th. 1764, aged 66, much refpetted by his countrymen.

M 3 among

l66 GEMMEOUS DRAGONET. Class IV.

among the Uranofcopi : the pupils are of a rich fap- pharine bine, the irides of a fine fiery carbuncle.

The upper jaw projects much farther than the lower : the mouth is very wide : the teeth are fmall.

The pectoral fins are round, and of a light- brown color ; the ventral placed before them, are very broad, and confift of five branched rays.

The firft dorfal fin is very lingular, the firft ray being fetaceous, and fo long as to extend almoft to the tail : thofe of the fecond dorfal fins are of a moderate length, except the laft, which is produ- ced far beyond the others.

The anus is placed about the middle of the belly ; the anal fin is broad, and the lalt ray the longeft. Pontoppidan calls this fpecies the flying fifh : whe- ther it makes ufe of any of its fins to raife itfelf out of the water, as he was informed they did, we can- not pretend to fay.

The tail is rounded and long, and confifls of ten rays. Coitus. The fide line is flrait: the colors are yellow,

blue, and white, and make a beautiful appearance when the fifh has been juft taken. The blue is of an inexprefiible fplendor, the richeft cerulean glowing with a gemmeous brilliancy. The throat is black. The membranes of all the fins extreme- ly thin and delicate.

Dracunculous

^

Class IV. SORDID DRAGONET. i6y

Draamculus. Wil. Ictb. 136. Caliionymus Dracunculus. C. 70. SoftBii Rati fyn. pifc. 79. dorfalis prioris radiis cor-

Cottus pinna fecunda dorfi al- pore brevioribus. Lin. fyft. ba dried. Jynon. 77. 434.

THIS fpecies we received from Mr. Travis* Its length was only fix inches and an half.

The head was compreffed \ the forehead Hoped down to the nofe, being not fo level as that of the preceding.

The eyes large, and almoft contiguous.

The mouth fmall; the teeth very minute.

Over the gills was a ftrong trifurcated broad fpine.

The fird dorfal fin had four rays ; the fird feta- ceous, extending a little higher than the others, the lad very fhort : the two firft rays and webs were yellow, the others black.

The fecond had ten foft rays, their ends extend- ing beyond the webs, which were pellucid.

The pectoral fins confided of twenty rays, and were ferruginous, fpotted with a deeper cad of the fame : the ventral fins confided of five broad and much branched rays, like thofe of the fird fpecies.

The anal fin was white, and- had ten rays ; the tail had ten rays. In both fpecies they are bifur- cated at their ends, and the ray next the anal fin in both is very fhort.

M 4 In

iG8 SORDID DRAGONET. Class IV.

In colors this is far inferior to the former, be- ing of a dirty yellow, mixed with white and dufky fpots j the belly is entirely white.

Lower

Class IV.

W E E V E R.

i£,

Lower jaw Hoping down. Gill covers aculeated. Six branchioilegous rays. Two dorfal fins. Anus near the breaft.

XVIII.

WEEVER.

Aoaxuv ? Arifi. Hif. an. Lib.

V11I. c. 13. jElian. Hift.

an. Lib. II. c. 50. Oppian

Halieut. II. 459. Draco rnarinus Plinii Lib. IX.

c. 27. Draco, Dracunculus.

Lib. XXXII. irj 11. Ara-

neus. Lib. IX. r. 48. La vive. Belon. 209. Draco. Rondel. 300. Gefner

pifc. 77, 78.

Peter-manniken, Schwertfif- 71. Common,

che. Schonevelde 16. *

The Weever. Wil. Icth. 238.

ifo// fyn. pifc. 91. Trachinus maxilla inferiore

longiore, cirris dellituta.

Ar ted. fyn. 71. Trachinus Draco. Lin. fyft*

453. Grono'v. Zooph. No.

274' Fariing, Fiaffing. Faun. Suec* No. 305.

THE qualities of this fifli were well known to the antients, who take notice of them without any exaggeration : the wounds inflicted by its fpines are exceedingly painful, attended with a violent burning, and moft pungent (hooting, and fometimes with an inflammation that will ex- tend from the arm to the moulder. *

It is a common notion that thefe fymptoms pro-

* It is probable that the malignity of the fymptoms arifes from the habit of body the perfon is in, or the part in which the wound is given,

ceed

4r7o W E E V E R. Class IV,

ceed from fomething more than the fmall wound this fifti is capable of infli&ing •, and that there is a venom infufed into it, at leaft fuch as is made by the fpines that form the firft dorfal fin, which is dyed with black, and has a mod fufpicious afpecl:. The remedy ufed by a fifherman in our neighbour- hood is the fea fand, with which he rubs the place affected for a confiderable time. * At Scarborough, ftale urine, warmed, is ufed with fuccefs.

This fifh buries itfelf in the fands, leaving only its nofe out, and if trod on immediately ftrikes with great force; and we have feen them direct their blows with as much judgment as fighting cocks. Notwithstanding this noxious property of the fpines, it is exceeding good meat. Nam 2* The Englijh name feems to have no meaning,

being corrupted from the French, la vive, fo called as being capable of living long out of the water, according to the interpretation of Belon. Descrip. It grows to the length of twelve inches, but is commonly found much lefs.

The irides are yellow : the under jaw is longer than the upper, and (lopes very much towards the belly : the teeth are fmall.

The back is ftrait, the fides flat, the belly pro-

* In the Umverfal Mufewn for November 1765, is an inftance of a perfon who was reduced to great danger by a wound from this fifh, and who was cured by the application of fwee; p\\f and taking opium and Venice treacle,

minenf,

8.

'

Class IV. GREAT WEEVER, 171

minent, the lateral line ftrait: the covers of the gills are armed with a very ftrong fpine.

The firft dorfal fin confifts of five very ftrong fpines, which, as well as the intervening mem- branes are tinged with black ; this fin, when qui- efcenr, is lodged in a fmall hollow.

The fecond confifts of feveral foft rays, com- mences jufl at the end of the firft, and continues almoft to the tail. The pectoral fins are broad and angular *, the ventral fins fmall

The vent is placed remarkably forward, very near the throat : the anal fin extends to a fmall diftance from the tail, is a little hollowed in the middle, but not fo much as to be called forked.

The fides are marked lengthways with two or three dirty yellow lines, and tranfverfely by num- bers of fmall ones : the belly filvery.

Draco major feu araneus. Safoian. 70. 7*. Great(

Greater Weever. lour Scotland, 1769, oclavo.

THE length eleven inches : greater* depth one and three quarters : head fiat : eyes large : edges of the jaws rough with minute teeth : lower jaw the longeft : head co~ vered with minute tubercles : cheeks and gills with minute fcales : on the gills is a iharp fpine.

Firlt dorfal fin black-, with five fpines : the fecond reaches almoft to the tail : in the pectoral fins are thirteen branched rays : in the ventral, fix : the anal extends oppofite to the fecond dorfal fin : tail large, triangular, even at the end.

The fcales run in oblique lines from the back to the belly, with a divifion between each row.

Inhabits the fe'a near Scarborough.

Head

i72 COMMON COD FISH. Class IV.

XIX. Head fmooth.

Seven flender branchioftegous rays. Body oblong ; fcales deciduous. All the fins covered with a common fkin, Ventral fins flender, and ending in a point. Teeth in the jaws ; and in the palate, a feries of minute teeth clofely let together.

* With three dorfal fins ; the chin bearded.

73. Common. La Morue. Belony 121. fyn. pifc. 53.

Molva. Rondel 280. Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore

Molva five morhua altera. cirrato, cauda asquali fere

Gefner pifc. 88. cum radio primo fpinofo.

Kablauw. Schoncvelde, 18. Arted, fynon. 35.

Afellus major vulgaris. Wil. Gadus morhua. Lin.fyji. 436.

Icth. 165, Gronov. Zoopb. No. 319.

Cod-fiih, or Keeling. Rati Cabblia. Faun.Suec. No. 398.

THIS fifti is found only in the northern part of the world ; it is, as Rondeletius calls it, an ocean fifh, and never met with in the Mediter- ranean fez*. It arFedls cold climates, and feems confined between the latitudes 66 and 50 : what: are caught north and fouth of thofe degrees being

* None (fays Captain Armftrong in his hiftory of Minorca) $f the Afelli or cod fifh kind, frequent our fhores. /. 163.

either

Class IV. COMMON COD FISH. 173

either few in quantity, or bad in quality. The Greenland fifh are fmall and emaciated through want of food, being very voracious, and having in thofe feas a dearth of provifion.

This locality of fituation is common to many other fpecies of this genus, moil of them being in- habitants of the cold feas, or fuch that lie within zones that can juft clame the title of temperate. There are neverthelefs certain fpecies found near the Canary I/lands, called Cherny *, of which we know no more than the name j but according to the un- fortunate Captain Glafs, are better tailed than the Newfoundland kind.

The great rendezvouz of the cod fifh is on the Banks of Newfoundland, and the other land banks that lie off the coafts of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and New England. They prefer thofe fituations, by reafon of the quantity of worms produced in thofe fandy bottoms, which tempt them to refort there for food : but another caufe of the particular attachment the fifh have to thefe fpots, is their vi- cinity to the polar feas, where they return to fpawn ; there they depofe their roes in full fecurity, but want of food forces them, as foon as the firft more fouthern feas are open, to repair thither for fub- fiftence.

Few are taken north of Iceland, but on the fouth and weft coafts they abound : they are again found

* Hift. Canary IJlands, 198.

to

374 COMMON COD FISH. Class IV.

to fwarm on the coafts of Norway, in the Baltic, off the Orkney and the Weftern IJles ; after which their numbers decreafe, in proportion as they ad- vance towards the fouth, when they feem quite to ceafe before they reach the mouth of the Straits of Gibraltar.

Before the difcovery of Newfoundland, the greater fifheries of cod were on the feas of Iceland, and of? our Weftern IJles, which were the grand refort of mips of all the commercial nations ; but it feems that the greateft plenty was met with near Ice- land. The Englijh reforted thither before the year 1415: for we find that Henry V. was difpofed to give the King of Denmark fatisfaction for certain irregularities committed on thofe feas by his fub- jects. In the reign of Edward the IV. the Englijh were excluded from the fifhery by treaty ; and for- bidden to refort there under pain of forfeiture of life and goods. Notwithftanding this, our monarch afterwards gave licence to a fhip of Hull to fail to Iceland, and there relade fifh and other goods, with- out regard to any reftridtions to the contrary. Our right in later times was far from being con- firmed, for we find Queen Elizabeth condefcending to afk permiflion to fifh in thofe feas from Chrifti* an the IV. of Denmark, yet afterwards fhe fo far repented her requeft, as to inftrucl: her embafiadors to that court, to infill on the right of a free and univerfal filhery *. How far fhe fucceeded, I do

* Rymer's Feed. XVI. 275, 425.

not

Class IV. COMMON COD FISH. 17$

not know : but it appears, that in the reign of her fuccefTor, our countrymen had not fewer than a hundred and fifty mips employed in the Iceland fifhery. I fuppofe this indulgence might arife from the marriage of James with a Princefs of Denmark.

But the Spanijh, the French, and the Bretons, had much the advantage of us in all fifheries at the beginning, as appears by the (late of that in the feas of Newfoundland in the year 1578*, when the number of mips belonging to each nation flood thus : Spaniards, 100, befides 20 or 30 that came from Bifcaie, to take whale for train, being about five or fix thoufand tons. Portuguefe, 50, or three thoufand tons. French and Bretons, 150, or feven thoufand tons. Englijh, from 30 to 50. But Mr. Anderfon, in his Dictionary of Com- merce, I. 363, fays, that the French began to fifh there fo early as 1536% and we think we have fomewhere read, that their firfl pretence for fiili- ing for cod in thofe feas, was only to fupply an Englijh convent with that article.

The encreafe of fhipping that refort to thofe fertile banks, are now unfpeakable : our own coun- try fl'ill enjoys the greateft fhare, which ought to be efteemed our chiefeft treafure, as it brings wealth to individuals, and ftrength to the ftate.

* Hadhyi's Coll. Voy, III. 132.

All

i76 COMMON COD FISH. Class IV.

All this immenfe fifhery is carried on by the hook and line only * •, the bait is herring, a fmall fifti called a Capelin, a fhell filh called Clams, and bits of fea fowl 5 and with thefe are caught fifh fuffi- cient to find employ for near fifteen thoufand Bri- tijh feamen, and to afford fubfiftence to a much more numerous body of people at home, who are engaged in the various manufactures which fo vaft a fifhery demands. Food. The food of the cod is either fmall fifh, worms,

teftaceous, or cruftaceous animals, fuch as crabs, large whelks, &c. and their digeftion is fo power- ful, as to diffolve the greateft part of the fhells they fwallow. They are very voracious, and catch at any fmall body they perceive moved by the water, even ftones and pebbles, which are often found in their ftomachs. The Sounds. Fifhermen are well acquainted with the ufe of the air-bladder or found of the cod, and are very dexterous in perforating this part of a live fifh with a needle, in order to difengage the inclofed air; for without this operation it could not be kept un- der water in the well-boats, and brought frefh to market. The founds of the cod faked is a delica-

* We have been informed that they fifh from the depth of fifteen to fixty fathoms, according to the inequality of the Bank, which is reprefented as a vaft mountain, under water, above five hundred miles long, and near three hundred broad, and that feamen knew when they approach it by the great fwell of the fea, and the thick milts that impend over it.

<7

Class IV. COMMON COD FISH. 177

cy often brought from Newfoundland. Ifinglafs is Isinglass. alfo made of this part by the Iceland fifhermen : as the procefs may be of fervice to inftrudt the natives of the North of Scotland where thefe fiu\ are plen- tiful, I beg leave to give it in the Appendix, extracted from a ufeful paper on the fubjedt, in the Ph. Tr. of 1773, by Humphrey Jack/on, Efq.

Providence hath kindly ordained, that this fifh, Vastly

Prolific* fo ufeful to mankind, fhould be fo very prolific as

to fupply more than the deficiencies of the mul- titudes annually taken. Leuwenhoek counted nine millions three hundred and eighty-four thoufand eggs in a cod fifh of a middling fize, a number fure that will baffle all the efforts of man, or the vora- city of the inhabitants of the ocean to exterminate, and which will fecure to all ages an inexhauftible fupply of grateful provifion.

In our feas they begin to fpawn in January^ and depofite their eggs in rough ground, among rocks. Some continue in roe till the beginning of' April. The cod fifh in general recover quicker after fpawning than any other fifh, therefore it is com- mon to take fome good ones all the fummer. When they are out of feafon they are thin tailed and loufy, and the lice chiefly fix themfelves on the in- (ide of their mouths.

The fifh of a middling fize are mod efteemed

for the table, and are chofen by their plumpnefs

and roundnefs, efpecially near the tail, by the

depth of the fulcus or pit behind the head, and by

Vol. Ill N the

;i7* COMMON COD FISH Class IV.

the regular undulated appearance of the fides, as if they were ribbed. The glutinous parts about the head lofe their delicate flavor after it has been twenty-four hours out of the water, even in winter, in which thefe and other fi(h of this genus are in higheft feafon. Sjsm. xhe largefl that we ever heard of taken on our

coafts, weighed feventy-eight pounds, the length was five feet eight inches ; and the girth round the moulders five feet. It was taken at Scarborough in 1755J and was fold for one (hilling. But the general weight of thefe fxfh in the Torkjhire feas, is from fourteen to forty pounds. Pescrip. This fpeeies is (hort in proportion to its bulk, the belly being very large and prominent.

The jaws are of an equal length, at the end of the lower is a fmall beard -, the teeth are difpofed in the palate as well as jaws.

The eyes are large.

On the back are three foft fins -, the firft has fourteen, the two laft nineteen rays a-piece. The ventral fins are very (lender, and confift but of fix rays; the two firft extending far beyond the other. It has two anal fins ; the firft confiding of twenty, the laft of fixteen rays.

The tail is almoft even at the end : the firft ray on each fide is (hort, and compofed of a ftrong bone.

The color of this fifti is cinereous on the back and fides, and commonly fpotted with yellow : the

belly

Class IV. H A D O C K. 173

belly is white, but they vary much, not only in color* but in fhape, particularly that of the head.

The fide line is white and broad, (trait, till it Side Line. reaches oppofite the vent, when it bends towards the tail.

Aigrefin, ou aiglefin. Behn. 118.

Tertia afellorum fpecies. Ron- del. 277.

Tertia afel. Sp. Eglefinus. Gefner pifc. 86.

Onos five aiinus veterum. Turner epifi. ad. Gefner.

Afellus minor, Schelfifch. Scbonevelde. 18.

Hadock. Wil, Ictb, 170.

Rail Jyn. pifc. 55. Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore cirrato, max. fup. longiore, corpore albicante, cauda parum bifurca. Arted. fynon,

36.

Gadus ^Eglefinus. G. tripte- rygius cirratus albicans, cauda biloba. Lin.fyjl. 435.

Kolja. Faun. Suec. No. 306.

Grono-v. Zoopb. No. 321.

74. Hadock;

OUR countryman Turner conjectured this fpe- cies to have been the Ov©-, or Afinus, of the antients, and Belon that it was the Kfiof, and the U§6€otT0i of Oppian, We have carefully confulted molt of the antient naturalifts, but cannot difcover any marks by which we can determine the fpecies they intended. The words f Ok©-, J Afinus^

Name.

* Codlings are often taken of a yellow, orange, and even red color, while they remain among the rocks, but on changing their place affume the color of other cod fifh

f Arift, Hift, an. Lib.Vhl. c. 15. Oppian Halieut. I. 151, III. 191.

X Ovidii Halieut, Lin, 131. Plinii Lib, IX. r. 16. 17.

N 2

Afelks,

80 H A D O C K. Class IV.

Afellus, * Callarias, and Bacchus ', are familiarly applied to feveral of our fpecies of cod fifh by the more modern writers ; yet the antients from whom they are borrowed, have not authorized the appli- cation to any particular kind, either by defcription or any other method.

Different reafons have been affigned for giving the name of Ov®-9 or Afinus to this genus, fome i- magining it to be from the color of the fifh, others becaufe it ufed to be carried on the backs of aflfes to market ; but we fhall drop this uncertain fub- jecl, and proceed to what we have fuller afTurance of. Season. Large hadocks begin to be in roe the middle of

November, and continue fo till the end of January *, from that time till May they are very thin tailed, and much out of feafon. In May they begin to recover, and fome of the middling-fized fifh are then very good, and continue improving till the time of their greatefl: perfection. The fmall ones are extremely good from May till February, and fome even in February, March, and April, viz. thbfe which are not old enough to breed.

The fifhermen affert, that in rough weather ha- docks fink down into the fand and ooze in the bottom of the fea, and fhelter themfelves there till the ftorm is over, becaufe in ftormy weather they take none, and thofe that are taken immediately

* Lib, c. 17.

fmall

AST

Shoals.

Class. IV H A D O C K. 1S1

after a ftorm are covered with mud on their backs.

In fummer they live on young herrings and other Food. fmall fiih; in winter on the (lone-coated worms*, which the fifhermen call hadock meat.

The grand fhoal of hadocks comes periodically V on the Yorkfhire coafts. It is remarkable that they appeared in 1766 on the 10th of December, and exactly on the fame day in 1767 : thefe fhoals ex- tended from the fhore near three miles in breadth, and in length from Flamborough head to Tin-mouth caftle, and perhaps much farther northwards. An idea may be given of their numbers by the follow- ing fact : three fifhermen, within the diftance of a mile from Scarborough harbour, frequently loaded their coble or boat with them twice a-day, taking each time about a ton of fifb : when they put down their lines beyond the diftance of three miles from the fhore, they caught nothing but dog fifh, which fhows how exactly thefe fifh keep their limits.

The belt hadocks were fold from eightpence to a milling per fcore, and the poor had the fmaller fort at a penny, and fometimes a halfpenny per fcore f .

The large hadocks quit the coaft as foon as they

* A fpecies of Serpula. f Here Mr. Travis, to whom I am much obliged for a moll accurate account of the Torkjbire fiih, with great humanity projects an inland navigation, to convey at a cheap and eafy method, thofe gifts of Providence to the thoufands of poor manufacturers who inhabit the diftant parts of that vail county.

N 3 go

tU H A D O C K. Class VI.

go out of feafon, and leave behind great plenty of fmall ones. It is faid that the large ones vifit the coafts of Hamburgh and Jutland in the fummer.

It is no lefs remarkable than providential, that all kinds of fifh (except mackrel) which frequent the Torkjhire coaft, approach the more, and as if it were offer themfelves to us, generally remaining there as long as they are in high feafon, and retire from us when they become unfit for ufe.

It is the commoneft fpecies in the London markets. Pescrip. They do not grow to a great bulk, one of four- teen pounds being of an uncommon fize, but thofe are extremely coarfe ; the bed for the table weigh- ing from two to three pounds.

The body is long, and rather more (lender than thofe of the preceding kinds : the head flopes down to the nofe : the fpace between the hind part of the firft dorfal fin is ridged : on the chin is a fhort beard.

On the back are three fins refembling thofe of the common cod-fifh. : on each fide beyond the gills is a large black fpot. Superftition afligns this mark to the impreflion St. Peter left with his finder and thumb when he took the tribute out of the mouth of a fiih of this fpecies, which has been continued to the whole race of hadocks ever fince that miracle.

The lateral line is black : the tail is forked. The color of the upper part of this fpecies is

dtifkv-

Class IV. WHITING POUT,

dufky or brown-, the belly and lower part of the fides filvery.

Irides filvery : pupil large and black.

**Z

Afelliss mollis latus. Mr. Lifter apud WiL Icth. App.

22.

Whiting Pout, Londi?ienJibus, Raii fyn.pifc.^ 55.

Gad us dorfo tripterygio, ore cirrato, longitudine ad la- titudiaem tripla, pinna ani

prima officulorum triginta. Arted. fynon. 37.

Gadus barbatus. G. triptery- gius cirratus maxilla inferi- ore pundiis utrinque fep- tem Lin.fyft. 437. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 320.

Sma-Torfk. Faun. Suec. No, an.

75-

Pour,

THIS fpecies never grows to a large fize, fei- dom exceeding a foot in length.

It is diftinguifhed from all others by its great depth ; one of the fize abovementioned being near four inches deep in the broadeft part.

The back is very much arched, and carinated. The fcales larger than thofe of the cod fifh. The mouth fmall ; the beard fhort. On each fide of the lower jaw are feven or eight punctures.

The firft dorfal fin is triangular, and terminates in a long fibre : the color of the fins and tail black : at the bottom of the pectoral fins is a black fpot.

The lateral line is white, broad, and crooked.

The tail is even at the end, and of a dufky color.

N4

The

1 84 BIB. Class IV.

The color of the body is white, but more ob~ fcure on the back than the belly, and tinged with yellow.

It is called at Scarborough a Kkg* It is a very delicate fifh.

jpo* Bib. Afellus Darius, Dwergdorfch, Gadus dorfo tripterygio, orft

Krumftert? Scbonevelde, 20. cirrato, officulo pinnarum

Bib & Blinds Cornubienjibus. ventralium primo in longam

WiL Icth. 169. fetam produ&o. Arted.fynon.

Afellus lufcus. Raiijyn. pifc. 35.

54. Gadus lufcus. Lin.fyft, 437.

THIS fpecies grows to the length of one foot. The greateft depth three inches and a half. The fcales are large, and fo far from adhering to the fkin, as is afTerted by naturalifts, are extreme- ly deciduous.

The body is deep, the fides compreffed. The eyes covered with a loofe membrane, which it can blow up at pleafure, like a bladder. The mouth is fmall : beneath the chin a beard, an inch long. In the firft dorfal fin twelve rays : in the fecond, which is longed, twenty-three: in the third, twenty. The pectoral fins about fixteen : the ventral fix or feven, of which the firft ray is long, and feta-

ceous :

XT

Class IV,

POOR.

ceous : the firft anal fin has twenty-feven ; the laft twenty-one rays.

The back is of a light olive : the fides finely tinged with gold : the belly white : the anal fins dufky, edged with pure white.; the tail with black.

185

Color,

Le Merlan ? Belon, 1 20.

Anthice iecunda fpecies. Ron- del. 191, Gefner pifc. 56.

Afellus mollis minor, feu afellus omnium minimus. Mo L L o Venetiis. Capelan Mafiilia:. Wil. Icth. 1 7 I .

Poor or Power Cornub.

Mr. J ago. Rail fyn. pifc. 77- pO°R« 161. Jig. 6.' Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore

cirrato, corpore fefcunciali,

ano in medio corporis.

Arted. fynon. 36. Gadus minutus. Lin fyjl. 438.

THIS is the only fpecies of cod fifli with three dorfal fins that we (at this time) are aflured is found in the Mediterranean fea. It is taken near Marfeilles, and fometimes in fuch quantities as to become a nufance -, for no other kinds of fi(h are taken during their feafon *. It is efteemed good, but incapable of being faked or dried : Belon fays, that when it is dried in the fun, it grows as hard as horn; Ceft dela que les Anglois font nomme Bouclzs horn.

It is the final left fpecies yet dlfcovered, being little more than fix inches long.

On the chin is a fmall beard : the eyes are co-

Descrip,

Rondel. 19

vered

iS6 C O A L F I S H. Class IV.

vered with a ldofe membrane : on the gill- covers, and the jaws are on each fide, nine pun&ures.

The firft dorfal fin has twelve rays •, the fecond nineteen -, the third feventeen.

The pe&oral fins thirteen ; the ventral fins fix : the firft anal fin twenty-feven ; the fecond feven- teen.

The color on the back is a light brown i on the belly a dirty white.

We owe the difcovery of this kind in our feas to the Rev. Mr. J ago.

** Three dorfal fins : chin beardlefs,

78. Coal. Colfifch. Belon, 128. 168. Raiijyti.pifc.^.

Colfifch Anglorum. Gefnerpifc. Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore

89. imberbi, maxilla inferiore

Afellus niger. Kolfifch. Koler. longiore et linea lateral!

Schonevelde, 19. re&a. Arted. fynon 34.

Cole fifti Septentrionalium Gadus carbonarius. Lin. fyfi.

anglorum. Ravvlin Pollack 438. Gronov. Zooph. No*

Cornubienftujn. Wil. pi/c. 317.

THE coal fifti takes its name from the black color that it fometimes afTumes. Belon calls it the Colfifch, imagining it was fo named by the Englifh, from its producing the Ictbyocolla, but Qejner gives the true etymology,

Thefe

Class IV. C O A L F I S H. 187

Thefe fifli are common on mod of our rocky and deep coafts, but particularly thofe of the north of Great Britain, They fwarm about the Orknies, where the fry are the great fupport of the poor.

The young begin to appear on the Torkjhire coaft Young. the beginning of July in vaft fhoals, and are at that time about an inch and an half long. In Auguft they are from three to rive inches in length, and are taken in great numbers with the angling rod, and are then efteemed a very delicate filh, but grow fo coarfe when they are a year old that few- people will eat them. Filh of that age are from eight to fifteen inches loner, and beg-in to have a little blacknefs near the gills, and on the back, and the blacknefs encreafes as they grow older.

The fry is known by different names in diffe- rent places : they are called at Scarborough Parrs, and when a year old, Billets, About nine or ten years ago fuch a glut of Parrs vifited that part, that for feveral weeks it was impofllble to dip a pail into the fea without taking fome.

Tho' this fifh is fo little efteemed when frefti, yet it is falted and dried for fale; a perfon laft year having cured above a thoufand at Scarborough.

The coal filh is of more elegant form than the D?»crib. cod fiih : they generally grow to the length of two feet and an half, and weigh abdut twenty-eight or thirty pounds at mod, The head is finally the under jaw a little longer than the upper :

the

i88

POLLACK.

Class IV.

the irides filvery, marked on one fide with a black fpot.

It has three dorfal fins, the firft confifts of four- teen, the next of twenty, the lad of twenty-two rays.

The pectoral fins of eighteen; the ventral of fix : the firft anal fin of twenty-two, the fecond of nineteen.

The tail is broad and forked.

Thefe fifh vary in color. We have feen fome whofe back, nofe, dorfal fins and tail were of a deep black : the gill covers filver and black : the ventral and anal fins white ; the belly of the fame color.

We have feen others dufky, others brown, but in all the lateral line was ftrait and white, and the lower part of the ventral and anal fins white.

79. Pollack. Afellus virefcens, Schwartres

Kolmulen. Schonevelde, 20.

Afellus flavefcens ; Gelbe

Kolmulen. Ibid. Afellus Huitingo-Pollachius.

mi.ictb. 167.

Whiting Pollack. Rait fyn.

pifc. 53. Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore

imberbi, max. inf. longiore,

linea laterali curva. Arted.

Jynon. 35. Gadus Pollachius. Lin, fyjl.

439. Gronov. Zoopb. JNo.

318. Nortvegis Scy. Bahuftis Gra-

lik ? Faun. Suec, No. 309.

T

HIS fpecies is common on many of our rocky coafts : during fummer they are ken

in

Class IV. POLLACK.

in great fhoals frolicking on the furface of the water, and flinging themfelves into a thoufand forms. They are at that time fo wanton as to bite at any thing that appears on the top of the waves, and are often taken with a goofe's feather fixed to the hook. They are a very ftrong fifh, being ob- ferved to keep their ftation at the feet of the rocks in the mod turbulent and rapid fea.

They are a good eating fifh : they do not grow to a very large fize^ at left the biggefl we have feen did not exceed fix or feven pounds: but we have heard of fome that were taken in the fea near Scarborough, which they frequent during winter, that weighed near twenty-eight pounds. They are there called Leets.

The under jaw is longer than the upper j the head and body rifes pretty high, as far as the firft dorfal fin.

The fide line is incurvated, riling towards the middle of the back, then finking and running ftrait to the tail; it is broad, and of a brown color.

The firfl dorfal fin has eleven rays, the mid- dle nineteen, the laft fixteen : the tail is a little forked.

The color of the back is dufky, of fome in- clining to green : the fides beneath the lateral line marked with lines of yellow ; the belly white.

Sccunda

190

WHITING. Class IV.

80. Whi- Secunda afellorum fpecies. ting. Rondel. 276.

Merlanus. Rondel. Gefner pifc.

Afellus candidus primus, Witling. Schonevelde, 17.

Afellus mollis major, feu al- bus. Wil. Iclh. 170.

Whiting. Rail fyn. pifc. 55.

Gadus dorfo tripterygio, ore imberbi corpore albo, max- illa fuperiore longiore. Ar- ced, fynon. 34.

Gadus merlangus. Lin. Jyft. 438. Gronou. Xooph. No.

3l6:

Hwitling, Widding. Faun. Suec. No. 310.

WHITINGS appear in vaft Ihoals in our feas in the ipring, keeping at the diftance of about half a mile to that of three from the ihore. They are caught in vaft numbers by the line, and afford excellent diverfion.

They are the mod delicate, as well as the mod wholefome of any of the genus, but do not grow to a large fize; the biggeft we ever faw* not ex- ceeding twenty inches, but that is very uncom- mon, the ufual length being ten or twelve.

It is a fifh of an elegant make : the upper jaw is the longeft ; the eyes large, the nofe fharp, the teeth of the upper jaw long, and appear above the lower when doled.

The firil dorfal fin has fifteen rays, the fecond eighteen, the laft twenty.

* We have been informed that whitings, from four to eight pounds in weight, have been taken in the deep water at the edge of the Dogger-Bank,

The

Class IV.

H A K

The color of the head and back is a pale brown *, the lateral line white, and is crooked •, the belly and fides filyery ; the laft ftreaked lengthways with yel- low.

*9*

With only two dorfal fins.

Le Merluz. Belon, ir^. Afellus, ovog, ovktjco^. Rondel. ' 272. m

Merlucius. Gefner pifc. 84. Afellus primus five Merlu- cius. Wil. Icth. 174. The Hake. Raiifyn. pifc.

Gadus dorfo dipterygio, max- illa inferiore longiore. Ar- ted.fynon 36.

Gadus Merlucius. Lin, fyft. 439. Faun. Suec. No. 314. Gronov. Zcopb, No. 315.

Si. Hake,

A FISH that is found in vaft abundance on ma- ny of our coafts, and of thofe of Ireland. There was formerly a vaft ftationary fifhery of Hake on the Nymph Bank off the coaft of Waterford, im- menfe quantities appearing there twice a year; the fir ft fhoal coming in June^ during the Mackrel fea- fon, the other in September, at the beginning of the Herring feafon, probably in purfuit of thofe fim : it was no unufu-al thing for fix men with hooks and lines to take a thoufand Hake in one night, befides a confiderable quantity of other fifh. Thefe were falted and fent to Spain, particularly

to

i^i H A K E. Class IV.

to Bilboa. * We are at this time uninformed of the ftate of this fifhery, but find that Mr. Smithy who wrote the hiftory of the county of Waterforft^ complains even in his time (1746) of its decline. Many of the gregarious fifh are fubjecl: to change their fituations, and defert their haunts for num- bers of years, and then return again. We fee, p. 102, how unfettled the Bajking Shark appears to be: Mr. Smith inftances the lofs of the Hadock on the Waterford fhores, where they ufed to fwarm ; and to our knowlege we can bring the capriciouf- nefs of the herrings, which fo frequently quit their ftations, as another example.

Sometimes the irregular migration of fifh is owing to their being followed and haraffed by an unufual number of fifh of prey, fuch as the fhark kind.

Sometimes to deficiency of the fmaller fifh, which ferved them as food.

And laftly, in many places to the cuftom of trawling, which not only demolifhes a quantity of their fpawn, which is depofited in the fand, but alfo deftroys or drives into deeper waters number- lefs worms and infects, the repaft of many fifh.

The hake is in England efteemed a very coarfe fifh, and is feldom admitted to table either frefh or faked f.

* Smith's Htft. Waterford, 261. f When cured it is known by the name of Poor John,

The

Class IV. FORKED HAKE.

*93

Thefe fifh are from a foot and an half to near Descri*. twice that length : they are of a {lender make, of a pale afh color on their backs, and of a dirty white on their bellies.

Their head is flat and broad ; the mouth very wide ; the teeth very long and fharp, particularly thofe of the lower jaw.

The firft dorfal fin is fmall, confiding of nine rays ; the fecond reaches from the bafe of the former almoft to the tail, and is compofed of forty rays, of which the laft are the higheft : the pecto- ral fins have about twelve, the ventral feven : the anal thirty-nine.

The tail is almoft even at the end.

Galee, claria marina. Belon, Ictb. 205. Raii fyn. pifc, 82. Fork e*4

126. 75.

Phycis. Rondel. 186. Ge/ner Phycis. Arted.fynon. App. 1IL

pifc. 718. Blennius Phycis. Lin. fyft.

Tinea marina. Aldr, WiL 442.

THIS is the fifh to which Rondektius gives the name of Phycis, borrowing it from Ariftotlq and Pliny, who have not fo fufficiently characterized it, as to enable us to judge what fpecies they in- tended. It is found in the Mediterranean more fre- quently than in" our feas, and we believe is the fifh mentioned by Mr. Armftrong, and Doctor Clegborn*?

* drmftrcng, 161. C leghorn, 43,

Vol. III. O in

i94 FORKED HAKE. Class IV.

in their hiftories of Minorca, under the name of Molioy Mollera, and Molle. It is known on the coaft of Cornwall by the name of the great forked beard *, where it was firft difcovered by Mr. Jago. ]We place it in this genus, as it has more the ap- pearance of the cod fiih kind, the hake efpecially, than of the Blenny, into which genus Linnaeus has flung- it ; we therefore have given this fpecies the name of the Forked Hake.

. The length of one that was taken on the Flint- Jhire mores was eleven inches and an half, its greateft depth three inches -, but according to Doctor Borlafe, fome grow to be above eighteen inches long.

The head floped down to the nofe in the fame eafy manner with others of this genus : the mouth large : beiides the teeth in the jaws was a triangular congeries of fmall teeth in the roof of the mouth.

At the end of the lower jaw was a fmall beard. The firft dorfal fin was triangular; the firft ray extended far beyond the reft, and was very (len- der: the fecond fin began juft behind the firft, and extended almoft to the tail : the ventral fins were three inches long, and confided of only two rays, joined at the bottom, and feparated or bifurcated towards the end : the vent was in the middle of the body : the anal fin extended from thence juft

* Bar bus major Cornubienfis cirri s bifurcatis : the great forked beard, Mr. Jago. Raii fyn, pi/c. 163./^. 7.

to

Class IV. L E S T H A K E.

to the tail : the lateral line was incurvated : the tail was rounded.

The color was a cinereous brown.

J95

Barbus minor Cornubienjts cirris bifurcis. The Leffer Forked 83. Lest, Beard. Mr. J ago. Rail fyn. pifc. 164. Jig. 8.

WE never faw this fpecies, and having but very imperfect defcriptions of it, cannot with any certainty pronounce it to be of this ge- nus, but are unwilling to feparate them, as we found them united by that judicious Icthyologift Mr. Jago.

It is faid not to exceed five inches in length : the firft dorial fin (in the print) is fhorter than that of the preceding; the fecond refembles that of the other kind : the ventral fins bifurcated. It has a fmall beard, and a rounded tail, but the head is fhorter and more fteep \ the color black, the fkin fmooth, and the appearance difagreeable.

O 2 THfS

i96 TRIFURCATED HAKE. Class IV.

$$. TaiFOR- >T*HIS new fpecies was communicated to me

gated I

■* by the Reverend Mr. Hugh Davies of Beau- maris, and was taken near that place.

Its length was twelve inches : the color a deep brown ; excepting the folding of the lips, which were fnow white, giving it a flrange appearance.

The head deprelTed and very broad : eyes large : irides yellowifh : mouth very wide, with irregular rows of incurvated teeth. In the roof of the mouth a femilunar congeries of teeth. No tongue.

From the fetting on of the pectoral fins the body was CQmprefTed, but remarkably fo, as it approach- ed the tail, growing very (lender near that part. On the beginning of the back was a /ulcus, in which was the rudiment of a firft dorfal fin ; the fecond reached almofl to the tail, and the anal cor- refponded. Above the pectoral fins, on each fide, was a row of tubercles from which commenced the lateral line, which was (midway) incurvated. The ventral fins were trifurcated : the tail rounded.

In a prone fituation this fifh made a ftrange ap- pearance,, fo is reprefented in that as well as another attitude^

Ling

-

J:^:-1

Class IV. LIN

197

Ling, Lingfifche. Belon, 130. Jy*kp\fc. 56. 85. L-iti<G«

Gefner pifc 95. Gadus dorfo dipterygo, ere

Molva major Charhton ex. pifc. ferrato, maxilla fuperiore

3. longiore. Arted. Jynon, 36.

Afellus longus, eine Lengc. Gadus molva. Lin. Jyjl. 439.

Schonevelde, 18. Langa. Faiut> Suec. No. 313.

Ling. Wil. Icth. 175. Rail

THE ling takes 4ts name from its length, being corrupted from the word long, k abounds about the Stilly Ifles, on the coafts of Scar- borough^ and thofe of Scotland and Ireland, and forms a confiderable article of commerce *

In the Fork/hire feas they are in perfection from the beginning of February to the beginning of May, and fome till the end of that month. Ir June they fpawn, depofiting their eggs in the foft opzy ground of the mouth of the Tees : at that time the males feparate from the females, and refort to fome rocky ground near Flamborough Head, where the fifhermen take great numbers without ever finding any of the female or roed fifti among them.

While a ling is in feafon its liver is very white, °;l-< and abounds with a fine flavored oil ; but as foon

* This branch of trads-was cpnfiderable fo long ago as fhe reign of Edward III. an act for regulating the price of Lob9 Ling> tnd Qod9 being made in his 31ft year.

O 3 as

t98 LIN G. Class IV,

as the fifh goes out of feafon, the liver becomes red as that of a bullock, and affords no oil. The fame happens to the cod and other fifh in a certain degree, but not fo remarkably as in the ling. When the fifh is in perfection, a very large quan- tity of oil may be melted out of the liver by a flow fire, but if a* violent fudden heat be ufed for that purpofe, they yield very little. This oil, which nature hoards up in the cellular membranes of filhes, returns into their blood, and fupports them in the engendring feafon, when they purfue the bu- finefs of generation with fo much eagernefs as to neglect their food.

Vaft quantities of ling are faked for exportation, as well as for home confumption. When it is cut or fplit for curing, it mutt meafure twenty-fix inches or upwards from the moulder to the tail ; if lefs than that it is not reckoned a fizeable fifh, v and confequently not entitled to the bounty on ex- portation -, fuch are called Drizzles^ and are in feafon all fummer. Descrip. The ufual fize of a ling is from three to four feet -, but we have heard of one that was ^ven feet long.

The body is very flender ; the head flat; the upper jaw the longeft-, the teeth in that jaw fmall and very numerous ; in the lower, few, flender, and fharp : on the chin is a fmall beard.

The firfl dorfal fin is fmall, placed near the head, and confifts of fifteen rays : the fecond is very long,

reaching

Class IV.

BURBOT.

reaching almoft to the tail, and confifts of fixty- five rays : the pectoral fins have fifteen radiated rays -, the ventral fins fix ; the anal fixty-two : the tail is rounded at the end.

Thefe fifh vary in color, fome being of an olive hue on the fides and back, others cinereous •, the belly white. The ventral fins white: the dorfal and anal edged with white. The tail marked near the end with a tranfverfe black bar, and tipt with white.

199

Strinfias, ou BotatrilTa. Belon,

300. Lota. RcndeL fiu-vlat. 165.

Gefner pifc. 599. Quappen, Elff-quappen, Ti-

der-quappen, Trufchen ?

Scbonevelde, 49. Burbot, or Bird-bolt. Plot

Staff. 241. Tab. 22. fig. 4. Muftela fluviatilis noitratibus

Eel-pout. Wil. Ictb. 125. &6. Burbot,

Raii fyn. pijc. 6j. Aal-rutte, Rutte. Kram. 388. Gadus dorfo dipterygio, ore

cirrato, maxillis asqualibus.

Arted. fynon. 38. Gadus Lota, Lin. fyjl. 440.

Grono<v. Zooph. No. 97. Lake. Faun. Suec. No. 113.

THIS fifli is found in the Trent, but in great- er plenty in the river Witham, and in the great Eaft Fen in Lincoln/hire. It is a very deli- cate fifh for the table, Though of a difgufting ap- pearance when alive. It is very voracious, and preys on the fry and lefTer fifh. It does not often take a bait, but is generally caught in weels.

It abounds in the lake of Geneva, where it is call- O 4 ed

Place,

200 BURBOT. Class. IV

ed Lota, and it is alfo met with in the Lago Mag- giore, and Lugano. Descrip. The largeft that we ever heard was taken in our waters weighed between two and three pounds, but abroad they are fometimes found of double that weight.

Their body has fome refemblance to that of an eel, only fhorter and thicker, and its motions alfo refemble thofe of that fifli : they are befides very fmooth, flippery, and (limy.

The head is very ugly, being flat, and fhaped like that of a toad: the teeth are very fmall, but nume- rous : the irides yellow.

On the end of the nofe are two fmall beards ♦, on the chin another ; the number of its branchi- oftegous rays are feven.

The firft dorfal fin is fhort : the fecond is placed immediately behind it, and extends almoft to the tail : the pectoral fins are rounded : the ventral fins confift of fix rays, of which the two firft are divided near their ends from each other : the vent is placed in the middle of the belly, and the anal fin reaches almoft to the tail : the tail is rounded at the end. Color. The color of this fpecies varies % fome are dufky,

others of a dirty green, fpotted with black, and oftentimes with yellow, and the belly in fome is white; but the real colors are frequently concealed by the flime,

Muflella

^

121. Rati fyn. pifc. 67.

87. Three

Rockling, Mr. Jago. Rati

BEARDED.

fyn. pifc. 164. fig. 9.

Class IV. THREE BEARDED COD, 201

Muftella vulgaris. Rondel.

281- Gefner pifc. 89. Sea Loche Ceftria, Whittle

iifli Cornubia. Wil. Ictb.

THIS fpecies commonlv frequents the rocky fhores of thefe iflands, and is fometimes taken with a bait.

It grows to the length of nineteen inches ; the weight two pounds two ounces : the head is large and fiat : the eyes not remote from the end of the nofe : the body is long, flender, and compref- fed tideways, efpecially towards the tail: at the end of the upper jaw are two beards -9 on the chin one.

The teeth are numerous and fmall, difpofed along the jaws in form of a broad plate : in the roof of the mouth is a fee of fmall teeth, difpofed in a triangular form.

The number of branchioftegous rays is feven.

The firft dorfal fin is lodged in a deep furrow juft beyond the head, and confifts of a number of fhort unconnected rays : the fecond rifes juft be- hind it, ancl reaches very near the tail : the pero- ral fins are broad and round ; the ventral fins fmall -, the fecond ray the longed : the anal fin reaches al- moft to the tail : the tail rounded at the end.

The fcales are very fmall : the color of the body and head a reddim yellow, marked above the lateral

line

202 FIVE BEARDED COD. Class IV.

line with large black fpots : the back fin and tail are darker ; the vent fin of a brighter red, but all are fpotted. The lateral line bends in the middle, then pafifes ftrait to the tail.

88. Five Gadus dorfo dipterygio, ful- gius cirris 5, pinna dorfali

Bearded. co magno ad pinnam dorii priore exoleta. Lin. fyft.

primam, ore cirrato? Arted. 440. Grono<v. Zooph. No.

fynon. 37. ' _ 314.

Gadus nuiftela. G. diptery-

MR. Willugbby makes this fpecies with five beards, a variety only of the former ; but having opportunity of examining feveral fpeci- mens, we muft diffent from his opinion, having always obferved the number of the beards in the fpotted kind not to exceed three, nor the number in the brown kind to be lefs than five. The rirft ray of the dorfal fin is very long. There is alfo fome difference in the form as well as color, this fpecies being rather thicker in proportion than the former.

Excepting thefe particulars, and the number of beards, there is a general agreement in the parts of both. The beards on the upper jaw are four, viz. two at the very end of the nofe, and two a little above them : on the end of the lower jaw is a fingle one.

Thefe fiQi are of a deep olive brown, their belly

whitifh.

Class IV. T O R S K. 203

whitifb. They grow to the fame fize as the for- mer.

The Cornijb flmermen are faid to whittle, and make ufe of the words Bod, Bod, vean, when they are defirous of taking this fifh, as if by that they facilitated the capture. In the fame manner the Sicilian fifhermen repeat their Mamajfu di pajanu, &c. when they are in purfuit of the Sword Fijh *.

With only one dorfal fin.

THIS fifli has been hitherto fuppofed to be of ^' ToRSK< the fection of this genus, which has three dorfal fins. The fpecies known in Sweden by that name is included in that divifion 5 and as fuch I defcribed it in the former edition from the account Linnaeus has given us. But from the information of the Rev. Mr. Low, minifter of Birfa, Orkney, who in 1774, made (at my requeft) the voyage of the Shetland iflands, I find the Britijh Torfk to be to- tally different -, and will occafion the addition of a fourth divifion in this genus.

The Torjk is defcribed and engraven in Mr, Strom's hiflory of Sondmoer, under the fame name.-f

* Vide f>. 162 ,

t Eller Torjky p. 272. tab. I. fig, 19. and when dried, Klip-jijk.

The

204

TORS K. Class IV.

The figure agrees with that Mr. Low favoured mc

with.

The Torjk, or as it is called in the Shetlands, "Tujk and Brifmak is a northern fifti ; and as yet undifcovered lower than about the Orknies^ and even there it is rather fcarce. In the feas about Shetland^ it fwarms, and forms (barrelled or dried) a confiderable article of commerce.

The length of the fpecimen, Mr. Low defcribed for me, was twenty inches, the greateft depth four and a half.

The head final], the upper jaw a little longer than the lower : both jaws furnifhed with multitudes of fmall teeth : on the chin was a fmall fingle beard : from the head to the dorfal fin was a deep furrow. The dorfal fin began within fix inches from the tip of the nofe, and extended almoft to the tail.

The pectoral, fins fmall, and rounded *, the ven- tral fhort, thick and fleihy, ending in four cirrhu

The belly from the throat grows very promi- nent: the anal fin was long, and reached almoft clofe to the tail, which is fmall and circular. The number of rays could not be counted with accuracy by reafon of their foftnefs, and the thicknefs of the fkin : the fide line fcarcely difcernible.

The color of the head dufky : the back and fides yellow : belly white : edges of the dorfal, anal, and caudal fins white ; the other parts dufky : the pecto- ral fins brown.

1 flatter myfelf, that in a fmall time, the pub-

li?

Class IV. T O R S K. 205

lie will receive from Mr. Low, a fuller account of this important fifh, in a comprehenfive hiftory of the idands of Orkney, and Shetland,

Head

2o6 CRESTED B LENNY. ClassIV.

PTFNNY* **eac* k*Unt at thC Cn^' ^^ Vet^ ^ee^'

Body fmooth and flippery.

Teeth (lender.

Body comprefTed Tideways.

Ventral fins confiding generally of only two

united rays. One dorlal fin. Six branchioflegous rays.

* With a crefted head.

90. Crested. Adonis, ou exocetus. Belcn, fyn. pifi. 73.

219. Blennius crifta capitis tranf-

Galerita. Rondel. 204. Gef- veria cutacea. Arted. fynon.

ner pifc. 14, 17, 18. 44. ^

Alauda criftata, five Galeri- Blennius Galerita. Lin. Jyft.

ta. JVil. Icth. 134. Raii 441.

THIS fpecies is found, though not frequently, on our rocky fhores, and is commonly about four or five inches long.

On the head is a fmall creft-like fin, which it

* There being no EngUJh name for this genus, Blenny is given it, derived from the word Blennius, the generical term ufed by Artedius, who forms it from Btivva mucus, it being of a flimy nature.

caa

PL

jst?$i.

GAT TOBXTGUSTE

CRE S TED BLEN'STY

Jfpgo.

^^^^JfM^m^^¥WM^

SPOT TED BLE K"NY.

JV?&3.

Aja/UM

Class IV. G A T T O R U G I N. 207

can erect or deprefs at pleafure. On the top of the head, between the eyes, is a triangular lump point- ing backwards, and red about its edges.

The fkin at the corner of the upper jaw is loofe, and projects.

From the hind part of the head, almoft to the tail, extends the dorfal fin : the ventral fin is fmall : the vent is placed under the ends of the pectoral fins.

The body is fmooth and flippery : the color brown, and fpotted.

Scorpioides. Rondel. 204. oculos, pinna ani officulo- 91. Gatto-

Gefner pifc. 847. rum viginti trium. Arted. rugin.

Gattorugine Venetiis. Wil. fynon. 44.

Icth. 132. Raii fyn. pifc. 72. Blennius Gattorugine. Lin.

Blennius pinnulis duabus ad fyjl. 442.

THIS curious kind was difcovered to be a Bri- Place, tijh fifh on the Anglefea coaft.

Its length was feven inches and an half: the body Descrif. was fmooth, and comprefTed on the fides : the belly a little prominent : the vent fituated as in the pre- ceding fifh.

The teeth (lender, almoft fetaceous, and very clofe fet : between the eyes was a fmall hollow, and above each, juft on the fummit, was a narrow loofe membrane, trifurcated at the top, which dif-

tinguifhes this from all other fpecies.

The

2o3 SMOOTH BLENNY. Class IV.

The pe&oral fins broad and rounded, confiding of fourteen rays, which extend beyond the webs, making the edges appear fcalloped.

The ventral fins like thofe of others of the genus : the dorfal fin confided of fourteen ftrong fpiny rays, and nineteen fofc rays; the lad of which were higher than the fpiny rays.

The anal fin had twenty-one rays : the ends in every fin extending beyond their webs.

The tail was rounded at the end, and confided of twelve rays, divided towards their extremities.

This fi(h in general was of a dufky hue, mark- ed acrofs with wavy lines : the belly of a light afh color.

The lower part of the pectoral fins, and the ends of the. ventral fins, of an orange color.

** With a fmooth head.

az Smooth. ^a ^erce e*Pece de Exoce- />, Smooth Shan. Mr. Jago

tus? Belon, 219. apud Rail fyn. pifc. 164.

Alauda non criftata. Rondel. fig. 10.

205, Gefner pifc. 18. Blennius maxilla fuperiore

Mulgranoc, & Bulcard CW- lorigiore, capite fummo

nubia. Wil. Icth. 133. Rail acuminata. Arled.fynon. 45.

fyn. pifc. 73. Blennius Pholis. Lin.fyfi 443.

Cataphra&us lsevis Comubien- Groncv. Zooph. No. 259.

^lace. TX7^ difcovered this fpecies in plenty lying

under the ftones among the tang on the

rocky

ClassIV. SMOOTH BLENNY. ?.e9

rocky coafts of Anglefea^ at the lower water-mark. It was very active and vivacious, and would by the help of its ventral fins creep up between the ftones with great facility. It bit extremely hard, and would hang at ones finger for a confiderable time. It was very tenacious of life, and would live for near a day out of water.

It feeds on lliells arid fmall crabs, whofe remains we found in its ftomach.

The length in general was five inches : the head Bzscrs?* large, and doping fuddenly to the mouth : the irides red. '

The teeth flender, very fharp, and clofe feti there were twenty-four in the upper, and nineteen in the lower jaw.

The pectoral fins .broad and rounded, confiding of thirteen rays : the ventral fins of only two thick rays, feparated near their ends.

The dorfal fin confided of thirty-two foft rays, and reached from the hind part of the head almoft to the tail.

The vent was in the middle of the body: the anal fin extended almoft to the tail, and confided of nineteen rays, tipt with white.

The tail rounded at the end, and compofed of twelve branched rays.

The color varied, fome were quite black, but generally they were of a deep olive, prettily mar- bled with a deeper color -, others fpotted with whites

Vol. III. P - the

2IO

SPOTTED BLENNY. Class IV.

the laft often difpofed in rows above and beneath the lateral line.

93. Spotted. Gunnellus Comubienjlum, non- nullis Butter-fijhy q. d. Li- paris. Wil. l£lh. 115. Rati fyn.pifc 144.^ Blennius maculis circiter de- cern nigris limbo albicante utrinque ad pinnam dorfa- lem. Arted.fynon. 45. Blennius Gunnellus. B. pinna

dorfali ocellis X nigris. Lin. fyft. 443. Faun. Suec. No. 318.

Seb. Muf. III. p. 91. Tab. 30. fig.6. ^ '

Pholis maculis annulatis ad pinnam dorfalem, pinnis ventralibus obfoletis. Gro- no<v. Zoopb. No. 267.

THIS fpecies is found in the fame place with the preceding, lurking like it under ftones, is equally vivacious, and is ufed as a bait for larger fifh.

Its length is fix inches : the depth only half an inch : the fides very much compreffed, and ex- tremely thin.

The head and mouth is fmall; the laft points upwards, and the lower jaw (lopes conliderably to- wards the throat.

The teeth are very fmall ; the irides whitifh.

The pedoral fins rounded, and of a yellow color : inftead of the ventral fins are two minute fpines.

The dorfal fin confifts of feventy-eight fhort fpiny rays, and runs the length of the back almoft to the tail : on the top of the back are eleven round fpots?

which

t

m

IP '>>>

-1

w

Class IV. VIVIPAROUS BLENNY.

211

which reach the lower half of the dorfal fin ; they are black, half encircled with white.

The vent is in the middle of the body j the anal fin extends from it almoft to the tail.

The tail is rounded, and of a yellow color.

The back and fides are of a deep olive: the belly whitifh.

Muftela marina vivipara, Acl- . quappe, Ael-puet, Ael- moder. Scho/ievelde, 50. Tab. 4.

Guffer, Eelpout. Sib. Scot. III. 25.

Muftela vivipara Scbone-ueldii. Wil lah. 122. Rati fyn. fife. 69.

Blennius capite dorfoque fufco flavefcente lituris nigris, pin- na ani flava. Arted.fynon. 45.

Blennius viviparus, B. ore 94. Vivipa* tentaculis duobus. Lin.fyft. Rous.

443- Tanglake. Faun. Suec. No.

317. Muf. Ad. Fr. I. 69. Tab. 32. Enchelyopus corpore lituris variegato; pinna dorfi ad caudam finuata. Gronov* Zoopk. No. 265.

nCHONEFELDE firft difcovered this fpecies;

, Sir Robert Sibbald afterwards found it on the Scotch coafts *9 and Linnxus has defcribed it in his account of his Swedijh Majefty's Mufeum.

They are viviparous, bringing forth two or three hundred young at a time. Their feafon of partu- rition is a little after the depth of winter. Before Midfummer they quit the bays and mores, and re- tire into the deep, where they are commonly tak-

P 2 en.

-i2 VIVIPAROUS BLENNY. Class IV.

en. They are a very coarfe fifti, and eat only by the poor.

They are common in the mouth of the river EJk) at Whitby ', Torkjhire-, where they are taken frequently from off the bridge.

They fometimes grow to the length of a foot. Their form (lender : their fkin fmooth and frippe- ry. The teeth very minute and fharp : the upper lip thin and fkinny.

The dorfal fin commences juft behind the head, and joins with that of the tail; but near the tail, the reft are lhort, fo as to form the appearance of a divifion. The pectoral fins rounded : the ventral confift of only four fhort rays : the anal extends far, and unites with the tail. The tail round.

The dorfal fin, back, and fides are of a yellowifh brown, flained with dufky fpots and lines. The end of the tongue, the chin, throat, and anal fin of a fine yellow.

The back-bone is green, as that of a fea-needle.

Sec t.

85

Glass IV. BLACK GOBY. 213

Sect. III. THORACIC FISH.

Eyes placed near each other. XXI.

T7 u w a GOBY*.

rour branchioitegous rays,

Ventral fins united.

Gobio niger. Rondel, 200. pinna dorfi fecunda oflicu- 95* Black, Ge/ner pifc. 395. lorum quatuordecim. Ar-

Schwartzer Goeb. Schone- ted.fynon. 46.

<velde9 36. Gobius niger. Lin.Jyft. 449.

Sea Gudgeon. Rock-fifh. Wil. Eleotris capite cathetoplateo, lilb. 206. Raiijyn.pifc j6, pinnis ventralibus concretis0

Gobius ex nigricante varius, Gronov. Zoopb. No. 281.

IT is to this fifh that Naturalifts have givera the fynonym of K«ft^, and Gobio, names of cer- tain fpecies mentioned by Arifioik, Pliny, and Oppian. The two firft have not left any charac- ters for us to diftinguifh them by; and Oppian at once fhews that he never intended this kind, as he has placed it among thofe which are armed with a poifonous fpine. Arifiotk was acquainted with two fpecies ; one a fea fifh that frequented the rocks, another thai; was gregarious, and an inha*

* Formed from Gobius, the generic name bellowed by Na* turalifls on $hefe fifh.

P 3 blunt

214 B L A C K G O B Y. Class IV.

bitant of rivers, which lad feems to have been our common gudgeon. PtscRip. 'p^jg fpecies grows to the length of fix inches : the body is foft, flippery, and of a {lender form : the head is rather large •, the cheeks inflated ; the teeth fmall, and difpofed in two rows : from the head to the firft dorfal fin is a fmall fulcus.

The firft dorfal fin confifts of fix rays •, the fe- cond of fourteen ; the pectoral fins of fixteen or feventeen, clofely fet together, and the middlemoft the longed -, the others on each fide gradually fhorter.

The ventral fins coalefce and form a fort of funnel, by which thefe fifh affix themfelves im- moveably to the rocks, for which reafon they are called Rock-fijh.

The tail is rounded at the end.

The color is brown, or deep olive, mixed with dark ftreaks, and fpotted with black : the dorfal and anal fins are of a pale blue, the rays marked with minute black fpots.

K<pvul

Class IV. SPOTTED GOBY. 215

A$ua} Atben. Lib. VII. p. Gobius Aphya et Marfio 96. Spot-

284. di&us. Arted. fynon. 47. ted.

Aphia. Be/on, 207. Gobius Aphya. G. fafciis

Aphya cobites. Rondel. 210. etiam pinnarum fufcis. Lin.

Gefner pifc. 67. Wil. pifc. fyfi. 450. 207. Raii Jy?t. pifc. 76.

WE faw feveraT of this fpecies taken lafl: fum- mer on our fandy fhores in the fhrimp nets.

The length of the largeft was not three inches : the nofe was blunt : the eyes large and prominent, ftanding far out of the head: the irides fappha- rine ; the head flat ; the tongue large •, teeth in both jaws.

The firft dorfal fin confided of fix rays; the iecond of eleven, and placed at fome diftance from the other.

The ventral fins are united : the anal confift of eleven rays : the tail is even at the end.

The body is of a whitifh color, obfcurely fpot- ted with ferruginous : the rays of the dorfal fins, and the tail, barred with the fame color.

P 4 Large

6

BULL HEAD.

Class IV.

XXII. BULL- HEAD.

Large fiat head, armed with fharp (pines. Six branchioftegous rays.

97. River. Boiroc. Arlji. Hlfl. an. Lib* Cottus alepedotus glaber, ca~

IV. c. 8. pite diacantho. Arted.fynon.

Chabot. Belon, 213. 76.

Cottus. Rondel Flwviat. 202. Cottus Gobio. C. lsvis, ca-

Gobio capitatus. Gefner pifc. pite fpinis duabus. Lin.

401. fyfi. 452,

Een Miiller. Schwenckfelt Sten-fimpa, Slagg-fimpa.

Sites, 431. Faun Suec. No. 323.

Bull-head, Miller's Thumb. Koppe. Kram. 384. Gromv*

Wil. Icth. 137. Raii Jyn. Zooph. No. 270.

fife. 76,

THIS fpecies is very common in all our clear brooks -, it lies almoft always at the bottom, either on the gravel or under a (tone : it depofits its fpawn in a hole it forms in the gravel, and quits it with great reluctance. It feeds on water infecls \ and we found in the ftomach of one the remains of the frefh water fhrimp, the pulex aqua- tilis of Ray.

This fifti feldom exceeds the length of three inches and an half: the head large, broad, flat, and thin at its circumference, being well adapted for infingating itfelf under ftones : on the middle p< rt of the covers of the gills is a fmall crooked

fpine turning inwards.

The

Class IV. ARMED BULL-HEAD. 217

The eyes are very fmall : the irides yellow : the teeth very minute, placed in the jaws and the roof of the mouth.

The body grows (lender towards the tail, and is very fmooth.

The firft dorfal fin confifts of fix rays, the fecond of feventeen : the pectoral fins are round, and prettily fcallcped at their edges, and are compofed of thirteen rays ; the ventral of only four ; the anal of thirteen ; the tail of twelve, and is rounded at the end.

The color of this fifh is as difagreeable as its form, being duiky, mixed with a dirty yellow : ihe belly whit.ifh.

Cataphra&us, Stein-bicker, Gottus Cataphrattus. C. lori- gg. Armed,

Miiller, Turfs-bull. Scbone- catus, rollro verrucofo 2

<veUe, 30. Tab. 3. bifidis, capite fubtus cir-

Cataphra&us Schoneveldii Sep- rofo. Lin.fyft. 451.

tentr. Anglis a Pogge. Wil. Botn-mus. Faun. Suec. No.

Ictb. 211. Rail Jyn.pifc. 77. 324.

Cottus cirris plurimis corpore Seb. Muf. III. Tab. 28. Gro-

octagono. Arted,fynon. 77. nov, Zooph. No. 271.

^TpHE pogge is very common on mod of the •^ Britijh coafts.

It feldom exceeds five inches and an half in length, and even feldom arrives at that fize.

The head is large, bony, and very rugged : the end of , the nofe is armed with four fhorc upright

fpines :

218

FATHER-LASHER. Class IV.

fpines : on the throat are a number of fhort white beards.

The teeth are very minute, fituated in the jaws.

The body is octagonal, arid covered with a number of ftrong bony crufts, divided into feveral compartments, the ends of which project into a fharp point, and form feveral echinated lines along the back and fides from the head to the tail.

The firft dorfal fin confifts of fix fpiny rays : the fecond is placed juft behind the firft, and confifts of feven foft rays.

The pectoral fins are broad and rounded, and are compofed of fifteen rays.

99. Father- lasher.

Scorpios. 0<vid. Halieut. 116. La Scorpene. Belon, 242. Scorpius marinus, Waelkuke,

Buloffe, Schorp-fifche.

$chone<velde> 67. tab, 6. Scorpaenae Belonii fimilis Cor-

nub. Father-lafher. Wil.

Jcth. 158. Rati Jyn. pifc.

145. Scorpius Virginian us.

Idem. 142. Wil. Ictb,

App, 25. Cottus fcorpius. C. capite

fpinis pluribus, maxilla fu-

periore paulo longiore. Lin,

fyjl, 452.^ Rot-iimpa, Skrabba; Skialry-

ta. Faun. Suec. No. 323. Ulke. Crantz. Greenl. I. 95.

Gronov. Zoopb. No. 268. Sea Scorpion. Edw. 284.

THIS fifh is not uncommon on the rocky coafts of this ifland : it lurks under (tones, and will take a bait. Descrip. It does not grow to a large fize, feldom exceed- ing (as far as we have feen in the, fpecimens that are taken on our fhores) eight or nine inches.

The

Class IV. FATUER-LASHER. 219

The head is very large, and has a mod formi- dable appearance, being armed with vaft fpines, which it can oppofe to any enemy that attacks it, by fwelling out its cheeks and gill covers to a large iize.

Et capitis duro nociturus Scorpios iSlu.

The hurtful Scorpion wounding with its head.

The nofe, and fpace contiguous to the eyes, are Spines, furniflied with fhort fharp fpines: the covers of the gills are terminated by exceeding long ones, which are both (Irong and very fharp pointed.

The mouth is large: the jaws covered with rows of very fmall teeth : the roof of the mouth is fur- niiried with a triangular fpot of minute teeth.

The back is more elevated than that of others of this genus : the belly prominent : the fide-line rough, the reft of the body very fmooth, and grows (lender towards the tail. •

The flrft dorfal fin confifts of eight fpiny rays ; the fecond of eleven high foft rays : the pectoral fins are large, and have fixteen ; the ventral three ; the anal eight: the tail is rounded at the end, and is compofed of twelve bifurcated rays.

The color of the body is brown, or dufky and white marbled, and fometimes is found alio ftained with red : the fins and tail are tranfparent, fome- times clouded, but the rays barred regularly with brown: the belly is of a filvery white.

This kind is very frequent in the Newfoundland American,

feas,

220 FATHER-LASHER. Class IV.

feas, where it is called Scolping : it is alfo as com- mon on the coaft of Greenland in deep water near more. It is a principal food of the natives, and the foup made of it is faid to be agreeable as yvell as wholefome.

Body

PL.TTTYT.

51tEAR DAB.

Jrp-iot

DOR EE

JV?300.

Class IV. D O R E E

221

Body very deep, and comprefTed fideways.

Very long filaments iffuingfrom the firft dorfal fin. DOREE,

Seven branchioftegous rays.

Xa^Jthq. Athen. lib.VU. 328. Zeus ventre acnleato, cauda 100. Dores,

Oppian Halieut. I. 133. in extremo circinato. Arted.

Faber? Ovid Halieut. no. fynon. 78.

Zeus idem Faber Gadibus. Zeus Faber. Z. cauda rotun-

Plin. lib. IX. c. 18. data, lateribus mediis ocello

La Doree. Belon, 146.^ fufco, pinnis analibus dua-

Faber five Gallus marinus. bus. Lin. fyfi. 454. Gro-

Rondel. 328. Gejher pifc. 369. no<v. Zoopb. No. 311.

A Doree. Wil. Icth. 294. Zeus fpinofus. Muf. Fred.

Raii fyn. pifc. 99. Ad. 67. tab. XXXI.

SUPERSTITION hath made the Doree rival to the Hadock, for the honor of having been the fifh out of whofe mouth St. Peter took the tri- bute-money, leaving on its fides thofe incontefti- ble proofs of the identity of the fifh, the marks of his finger and thumb.

It is rather difficult at this time to determine on which part to decide the diipute^ for the Doree like wife afTerts an origin of its fpots of a fi milar nature, but of a much earlier date than the for- mer. St. Chriftopher *, in wading through an arm

of

* Relet/, Rondel, alfo Aldrovand de pifc. 40. St. Chrijlophcr mm of a C'ljTal ffoture, as 16 erident from his image in the

church

222 D O R E E. Class IV.

of the fea, having caught a fifh of this kind en paf- fant9 as an eternal memorial of the fact, left the impreflions on its fides to be tranfmitted to all pofterity.

In our own country it was very long before this fifh attracted our notice, at left as an edible one. We are indebted to that judicious actor and vivant the late Mr. §htin9 for adding a moft deli- cious fifh to our table, who overcoming all the vulgar prejudices on account of its deformity, has effectually eftablifhed its reputation. Place. This fifh was fuppofed to be found only in the

fouthern feas of this kingdom, but it has been dis- covered laft year on the coaft of Anglefea. Thofe of the greateft fize are taken in the Bay of Bifcay^ off the French coafts : they are alfo very common in the Mediterranean -, Ovid rnuft therefore have ftyled it rams Faber, on account of its excellency, not its fcarcity. Descrit. yhe form 0f tnis fifh is hideous: its body is oval, and greatly compreffed on the fides : the head large : the fnout vaftly projecting : the mouth very- wide : the teeth very fmall.

The eyes great : the irides yellow.

The lateral line oddly diftorted, finking at each end, and rifing near the back in the middle : be- neath it on each fide is a round black fpot.

church of Notre Dame at Paris, and a flill larger at Auxerre : the laft we think is near feventy feet high. His hiftory is in his name, xprofogos, being faid to have carried our Saviour* when a child, over an arm of the fea.

The

P1JXXJX.

JSTP112

LUNULATED GILT HEAD.

ireiai.

MM'j\

Class IV. O P A H. 223

The firft dorfal fin confifts of ten ftrong fpiny rays, with long filaments, reaching far beyond their ends : the fecond is placed near the tail, and con- fifts of twenty-four foft rays, the middlemoft of which are the longeft.

The pectoral fins have fourteen fays, the ventral feven ; the firft fpiny, the others foft : it has two anal fins ; the firit confifts of four fharp fpines, the fecond of twenty-two foft ones, and reaches very near the tail.

The tail is round at the end, and confifts of fifteen branched rays.

The color of the fides is olive, varied with light blue and white, and while living is very refplen- dent, and as if gilt, for which reafon it is called the Doree.

The largeft fifti we have heard of, weighed twelve pounds.

Opah, or King-fifii. Ph. argenteo purpureo fplen- I0I. Opah.

Trans, abr. XI. 879. Tab. dens. Strom. Sondmor. 323,

V. 325. Tab. i* Jig* 20.

Zeus cauda bifurca, colore

WE have only five inftances of this fifh being taken in our feas, four of them in the Norths viz, twice off Scotland*, once off Northumberland,

* The iifli engraved by Sir Robert Sibbald. Hi/?. Scot. Tab, 6. ,and thus defcribed, is of this kind. Pijcis maculis aureis afperfus mnjcriptusy pollices 42 longus.

one

iH

O P A H. Class IV,

one in Filey-Bay \ 2'orkJ/jire -, and a fifth was caught at Brixbam, in for bay, in 1772.

The lad weighed a hundred and forty pounds. The length was four feet and an half: the breadth two feet and a quarter : the greateft thicknefs, only four inches. Its general color was a vivid tranfparent fcarlet varnifh, over burnifried gold, befpangled with oval filver fpots of various fizes : the bread was an hard bone, refembling the keel of a fliip : the flefh looked, and tailed like beef *.

I find a more ample defcription of another, by Mr. Robert Harrifon, of Newcaftle.

Newcaftle, Sept. 12. 1769; On Saturday lafl was thrown upon the fands at Blytb, a. very rare and beautiful fifh, weighing between fe verity and eighty pounds, fhaped like the fea bream. The length was three feet and an half; the breadth from back to belly almoft two feet ; but the thicknefs from fide to fide not above fix inches.

The mouth fmall for the fizeof the fifli, forming a fquare opening, and without any teeth in the jaws. The tongue thick, refembling that of a man, but rough and thick fet with beards or prickles, pointing backwards, fo that any thing might eafily pafs down, but could not eafily return back, therefore thefe might ferve inftead of teeth to retain its prey. The eyes remarkably large, covered with a mem- brane, and fhining with a glare of gold. The cover of the gills like the falmon.

f This defcription was fent to me by a gentleman, who faw the fifh Toon after it wa* taken.

The

Class IV. O P A H. 125

The body diminilhes very fmall to the tail, which is forked, and expands twelve inches : the gill fins are broad, about eight inches long, and play horizontally : a little behind their infertion the back fin takes its original, where it is about fe- ven inches high, but dopes away very fuddenly, running down very near the tail, and at its ter- mination becomes a little broader : the belly fins are very ftrong, and placed near the middle of the body : a narrow fin alfo runs from the anus to the tail.

All the fins, and alfo the tail, are of a fine fear- let ; but the colors and beauty of the reft of the body, which is fmooth and covered with aimoft imperceptible fcales, beggars all defcription; the upper part being a kind of bright green, variega- ted with whitifh fpots, and enriched with a mi- ning golden hue, like the fplendor of a peacock's feather. This by degrees, vanifhes in a bright fil- very, and near the belly the gold again predo- minates in a lighter ground than on the back,

Vol; III. Q Body

26 H d L I B U T. Class IV,

XXIV. Body quite flat, and very thin,

DER " Eyes, both- on the fame fide the head.

Branchioftegous rays from four to feven,

* With the eyes on the right fide.

102. Ho Li- Hippogloffus. Rondel. 325. totus glaber. Arted. fynon.

BUT. Gefner pifc, 669. 31.

Heglbutte, Hilligbutte. Pleurone&es Hippogloffus.

Schonevelde, 6z. Lin. fyfi. 456.

Holibut, Septentr. Anglis Tur- Halg-flundra. Faun. Suec.

bot. Wil. Iftb. 99. Raii No, 329. Gronov. Zoopb.

fyn.pifc. 33. > No. 247. Pleurone&es oculis a dextris,

Size. rr^HIS is the largeft of the genus; fome have X been taken in our feas weighing from one to three hundred pounds; but much larger are found in thofe of Newfoundland, Greenland, and Iceland, where they are taken with a hook and line in very deep water. They are part of the food of the Greenlanders*, who cut them into large flips, and dry them in the fun.

They are common in the London markets, where they are expofed to fale cut into large pieces, They are very coarfe eating, excepting the part

* Crantz. Hift. GreenU I. 98.

which

Class IV. H O L I B U T. 217

which adheres to the fide fins, which is extreme- ly fat and delicious, but furfeiting.

They are the moft voracious of all flat fifh. The lad year there were two inftances of their fwal- lowing the lead weight at the end of a line, with which the feamen were founding the bottom from on board a ftiip, one off Flamborough Head> the other going into Tinmoutb Haven : the latter was taken, the other difengaged itfelf.

The holibut, in refpect to its length, is the nar- Descrip. roweft of any of this genus except the fole.

It is perfectly fmooth, and free from fpines ei- ther above or below. The color of the upper part is dufky •, beneath of a pure white. We do not count the rays of the fins in this genus, not only becaufe they are fo numerous, but becaufe nature hath given to each fpecies characters fuffi- cient to diftinguifh them by.

Thefe flat fifh fwim fideways ; for which reafon Linnaeus hath ftyled them Pkitronefiss.

Q - Pteteffa

?28

P L A I S E,

Class IV,

303. Plajse. Plateffa? Aufonii Epiji, ad.

Theon. 62, he Quarlet. Belon, 139. Quadratulus. Rondel, 318*

Ge/ner pifc. 66$, Scholle, Pladife. Schonevelde,

61,

Pleurone&es oculis et tuber- culis fex a dextra capitis, lateribus glabris, fpina ad anum. Arted. Jynon. 30.

Pleurone&es Plateffa. Lin, fyfi. 456. Grono-v, Zooph, No, 246.

Plaife. Wil, Ictb, 96. Raii Skalla, Rodfputta. Faun, Suec. Jyn. pifc, 31. No. 328.

THESE fifh are very common on moft of our coafts, and fometimes taken of the weight of fifteen pounds; but they feldom reach that fize, one of eight or nine pounds being reckoned a large fifh.

The beft and largefl: are taken off Rye, on the coaft of Sufex, and alfo off the Butch coafts. They ipawn on the beginning of February,

They are very flat, and much more fquare than the preceding. Behind the left eye is a row of fix tu- bercles, that reaches to the commencement of the lateral line.

The upper part of the body and fins is of a clear brown, marked with large bright orange- colored fpots : the belly is white.

U

Class IV. FLOUNDER. 229

Le Flez. Belon, 141. nulis lupine ad radices pin- 104. Floun-

PafTeris tertia fpecics. Rondel, narum, dentibus obtufis. der.

319. Gefner pifc. 666, 670. Arted.fynon. 31.

Struff-butte Schonevelde, 6z. Plueronecles Flefus. Lin*

Flounder, Fluke, or But. fyft. 457. Groxo-v. Zooph.

ml. Icth. 980. Rail fyn. No. 248.

pifc. 32. Flundra, Slatt-fkadda. Faun*

Pleurone&es oculis a dextris, Suec. No. 327,

linea lateral! afpera, fpi-

THE flounder inhabits every part of the Britijh fea, and even frequents our rivers at a great diftance from the fait waters ; and for this reafon fome writers call it the Paffer fluviatilis. It never grows large in our rivers, but is reckoned fweeter than thofe that live in the fea. It is inferior in fize to the plaife, for we never heard of any that weigh- ed more than fix pounds.

It may very eafily be diftinguimed from the Descrip* plaife, or any other fifh of this genus, by a row of fharp fmall fpines that furround its upper fides, and are placed juft at the junction of the fins with the body. Another row marks the fide-line, and runs half way down the back.

The color of the upper part of the body is a pale brown, fometimes marked with a few obfcure fpots of dirty yellow . the belly is white.

We have. met with a variety of this fifh with the eyes and lateral line on the left fide. Linnaeus makes a diftinft fpecies of it under the name of

QJ Pleuro-

«3o S M E A R-D A B- Class IV.

Pleuroneftes PaJJer, p. 459 •, but fince it differs in no other refpect from the common kind, we agree with Doctor Gronovius in not feparating them.

10^. Dab. La Limande. Belon, 142. anum, dentibus obtufis.

Paffer afper, five fquamofus. Arted. fynon. 33.

Rondel. 319. Gefnerpifc. 665. Pleuronettes Limanda. Pi. o-

Dab. Wil. Jet/?. 79. Raii fyn. culisdextris, fquamis cilia-

pifc. 32. tis, fpinulis ad radicem pin-

! [Pleurone&es oculis a dextra, narum dorli, anique. Lin.

fquamis afperis, fpina ad fyft. 457.

rp]

OHE dab is found with the other fpecies, but is lefs common. It is in bed feafon during February \ March, and April : they fpawn in May and June, and become flabby and watery the reft of fummer. They are fuperior in goodnefs to the plaife and flounder, but far inferior in fize. Descrip. It is generally of an uniform brown color on the upper fide, tho' fometimes clouded with a darker. The fcales are fmall and rough, which is a character of this fpecies. The lateral line is extremely in- curvated at the beginning, then goes quite ftrait to the tail. The lower part of the body is white.

106. Smear- Rhombus lams Cornubienjis maculis nigris, a Kit. Mr. Dab. Jago. Raii Jyn. pifc, 162. jig. I.

WE found one of this fpecies at a fifh mon- ger's in London, where it is known by the

name of the Smear-dak

It

Class IV. SO L E.

It was a foot and a half long, and eleven inches broad between fin and fin on the wideft part.

The head appeared very fmall, as the dorfal fin began very near its mouth, and extended very near to the tail. It confifted of fcventy nine rays.

The eyes were pretty near each other. The mouth full of fmall teeth.

The lateral line was much incurvated for the firft two inches from its origin, then continued ftrait to the tail.

The back was covered with fmall fmooth fcales, was of a light brown color, fpotted obfeurely with yellow. The belly white, and marked with five large dufky fpots.

It was a fifh of goodnefs equal to the common dab.

*3*

J5ay*a<r<70$. Athen. lib. viii. p. fuperiore longiore, fquamis

288. Oppian Halieut, I. 99. utrinque afperis. Arted.Jyn.

La Sole. Belon, 142. 32.

Bugloffus. Rondel. 320. Gefner Pleurone&es Solea Lin. fyjl.

pifc. 666. 457. Gronov. Zoopb. No.

Tungen. Scbonevelde, 63. 251. Tunga, Sola. Faun,

Pleurone&es oculis a finiftra Suec. No. 326.

corpore oblongo, maxilla.

107. Sole,

THE fole is found on all our^coafts, but thofe on the weftern mores are much fuperior in fize to thofe of the north. On the former they are fometimes taken of the weight of fix or feven Q^4 pounds.

i32 SMOOTH SOLE. Class IV.

pounds, but towards Scarborough they rarely exceed one pounds if they reach two, it is extremely un- common.

They are ufually taken in the trawlnet : they keep much at the bottom, and feed on fmall fhell fifh. Descrip. It is of a form much more narrow and oblong than any other of the genus. The irides are yel- low ; the pupils of a bright fappharine color : the fcales are fmall, and very rough : the upper part of the body is of a deep brown : the tip of one of the pectoral fins black : the under part of the body is white : the lateral line ftrait : the tail rounded at the end.

It is a fifh of a very delicate flavour ; but ths fmall foles are much iuperior in goodnefs to large ones *. The chief fifhery for them is at Brixham in Torbay.

io8. Smooth Solea ? -Ovid. Halieut. 124.

Sole. ArnoglofTus feu Solea lasvis. Wil. Icth. 102. Raiijyn.pifc, 34.

HIS, as defcribed by Mr. Ray, (for we have not feen it) is extremely thin, pellucid, and

* By the antient laws of the Cinque ports, no one was to take foles from the ill of November to the 15th of March ; neither was any body to fifh from fun fetting to fun-rifing, that the filh might enjoy their night-food.

white,

Class IV. T U R B O T.

white, and covered with fuch minute fcales, and thofe inftantly deciduous, as to merit the epi- thet fmooth.

It is a fcarce fpecies, but is found in Cornwall^ where, from ks tranfparency, it is called the Lan- tern Fijh.

It is probable that Ovid intended this fpecies, by his Solea ; for the common kind does by no means merit his defcription.

Fulgent es SolejE candor e.

And Safes with white refplendent.

*33

#*

With the eyes on the left fide.

Rhombus. Ovid Halieut. fquamofus. Rati fyn. pifc. 109. Tu:

Le Turbot.*^/<j#, 134. 31. bot.

Rhombus aculeatus. Rondel. Pleurone&es oculis a finiftra,

3 1 o. Gefner pi/c. 661 . corpore afpero. Arted.fynon.

Steinbutt, Torbutt, Treen- 32.

butt, Dornbutt. Schonevel- Pleurone&e's maximus. Lin,

de, 60. Jyjl. 459. Grono'V. Zoopb*

Turbot, in the north a Bret. No. 254.

Wil. Icth. 94. Butta. Faun. Suec. No. 325. Rhombus maximus afper non

fT^URBOTS grow to a very large fize; we Size,

JL have feen them of three and twenty pounds weight, but have heard of fome that weighed thirty. They are taken -chiefly off the north coaft of

England,

234 T U R B O T. Class IV.

England^ and others off the Dutch coaft ; but we believe the laft has, in many inftances, more credit than it deferves for the abundance of its fifh. Fishery. The large Turbots, and feveral other kinds of flat fifh, are taken by the hook and line, for they lye in deep water : the method of taking them in wares, or ftaked nets, is too precarious to be de- pended on for the fupply of our great markets, becaufe it is by meer accident that the great fifh ftray into them,

It is a misfortune to the inhabitants of many of our fifhing coafts, efpecially thofe of the north part of North Walts, that they are unacquainted with the moft fuccefsful means of capture: for their benefit, and perhaps that of other parts of our ifland, we fhall lay before them the method prac- tifed by the fifhermen of Scarborough, as it wa$ communicated to us by Mr. Travis.

When they go out to fifh, each perfon is pro- Ll^i^s. vided with three lines. Each man's lines are fair- ly coiled upon a flat oblong piece of wicker-work \ the hooks being baited, and placed very regularly in the centre of the coil. Each line is furnifhcd with 14 fcore of hooks, at the diflance of fix feet two inches from each other. The hooks are fatt- ened to the lines upon fneads of twifted horfe-hair, 27 inches in length.

When fifhing there are always three men in each coble, and confequently nine of thefe lines are fattened together, and ufed as one line, extend-

ing

Class IV, T U R B O T.

*35

ing in length near three miles, and furnifhed with 2520 hooks. An anchor and a buoy are fixed at the firft end of the line, and one more of each at the end of each man's lines ; in all four anchors, which are commonly perforated ftones, and four buoys made of leather or cork. The line is al- ways laid acrofs the current. The tides of flood and ebb continue an equal time upon our coaft, and when undifturbed by winds run each way about fix hours. They are fo rapid that the fiftiermen can only moot and haul their lines at the turn of tide ; and therefore the lines always remain upon the ground about fix hours *■ The fame rapidity of tide prevents their ufing hand-lines ; and therefore two of the people commonly wrap themfelves in the fail, and fleep while the other keeps a ftri6b look- out, for fear of being run down by fhips, and to obferve the weather. For ftorms often rife {o fuddenly, that it is with extreme difficulty they can fometimes efcape to the fhore, leaving their lines behind.

The coble is 20 feet 6 inches long, and 5 feet Coble, extreme breadth. It is about one ton burthen, rowed with three pair of oars, and admirably con- ftru&ed for the purpofe of encountering a moun- tanous fea : they hoift fail when the wind fuits.

* In this fpace the myxine glutinofa of Linnaeus, will fre- quently penetrate the fifli that are on the hooks, and entire- ly devour them, leaving only the fkin and bones.

The

ne T U R B O T. Class IV.

The five-men boat is 40 feet long and 15 broad, and of 25 tons burthen: it is fo called, tho' navi- gated by fix men and a boy, beeaufe one of the men is commonly hired to cook, &c. and does not (hare in the profits with the other five. All our able fifhermen go in thefe boats to the herring fifhery at Yarmouth the latter end of September, and return about the middle of November. The boats are then laid up until the beginning of Lent, at which time they go off in them to the edge of the Dogger, and other places, to fifh for turbot, cod, ling, fkates, &c. They always take two cobles on board, and when they come upon their ground, anchor the boat, throw out the cobles, and fifh in the fame manner as thofe do who go from the more in a coble -, with this difference only, that here each man is provided with double the quantity of lines, and inftead of waiting the return of tide in the coble, return to the boat and bait their other lines ; thus hawling one fet, and (hooting another every turn of tide. They commonly run into har*- ■\ bour twice a week to deliver their fifh. The five-

' men boat is decked at each end, but open in the middle, and has two large lug-fails. Bait. The bed bait for all kinds of fi(h is frefh herring

cut in pieces of a proper fize \ and notwithstanding what has been faid to the contrary, they are taken here at any time in the winter, and all the fpring, whenever the fimermen put down their nets for Jthat purpofe. The five- men boats always take

fome

Class IV, T U R B O T.

fome nets for that end. Next to herrings are the lefTer lampreys *, which come all winter by land- carriage from Tadcafter. The next baits in efteem are fmall hadocks cut in pieces* fand worms, muf- cles, and limpets (called here Flidders\) and laftly, when none of theie can be had they ufe bullock's liver. The hooks ufed here are much fmaller than thole employed at Iceland and Newfoundland. Experience has fhewn that the larger fifh will take a living fmall one upon the hook, fooner than any bait that can be put on ; therefore they ufe fuch as the fmall fifh can fwallow. The hooks are two inches and an half long in the fhank, near an inch wide between the fhank and the point. The line is made of fmall cording, and is always tanned before it is ufed.

Turbots, and all the rays, are extremely delicate in their choice of baits. If a piece of herring or hadock has been twelve hours out of the fea, and then ufed as bait, they will not touch it.

This and the pearl are of a remarkable fquare form : the color of the upper part of the body is cinereous, marked with numbers of black fpots of different fizes: the belly is white : the fkin is without fcales, but greatly wrinkled, and mixed with fmall fhort fpines, difperfed without any order.

* The Dutch alfo ufe thefe fifh as baits in the turbot fifhery, and purchafe annually from the Thames fi mermen as much as amounts to 700/. worth, for that purpofe.

PafTer

237

238 WHIFF. Class IV.

no. Pearl. La Barbue. Belon, 137. Pleurone&es oculis a finiftris,

Rhombus laevis. Rondel. 312. corpore glabro. Arted. fyn,

Gefner pifc. 662. 31.

Schlichtbutt. Schonevelde, 60. Pleuronettes Rhombus. Lin,

Rhombus non aculeatus fqu- fyfi 458* Grono<v, Zooph.

amofus the Pearl. Londinens. No. 149.

Cornub. Lug-aleaf. Wil, Pigghvarf. //. W, Goth, 178.

Icth. 95. Rati Jyn. pifc. 31.

IT is frequently found in the London market?, but is inferior to the turbot in goodnefs as well as fize.

The irides are yellow : the fkin is covered with fmall fcales, but is quite free from any fpines or inequalities.

The upper fide of the body is of a deep brown, marked with fpots of dirty yellow : the under fide is of a pure white.

in. Whiff. Pafler Cornubienjis afper, magno oris hiatu. Mr. J ago. Rail

fyn. pifc, 163. Jig, 2,

THIS bears fome refemblance to the Holibut. One was brought to me by my fiflierman, October 31, 1775. Its length was eighteen inches: the greateft breadth not feven, exclufive of the fins.

The

Class IV. WHIFF.

The mouth extremely large : teeth very fmall : the under jaw hooks over the upper: the eves large ; and placed on the fide.

The fcales great, and rough : the fide-line un- commonly incurvated at the beginning. After making a fharp angle, goes ftrait to the tail, find is tuberculated : the tail is rounded.

The color of the upper part of the body is cinereous brown, clouded in parts, and obfcure- ly fpotted : the under fide white, tinged with red.

2J9

Covers

240

Class IV.

GILT-HEAP.

XXV. GILT- HEAD.

Covers of the gills fcaty.

Five branchioftegous rays.

Fore teeth fharp.

Grinders flat.

One dorfal fin, reaching the whole length of the

back, Forked tail.

112. LUNU- LATED.

Xgv<ro<p%u$. Oppian Halieut,

I. 169. Chryfophrys. Ovid Halieut.

III. Aurata Plinii, Lib. IX. c. 16. La Dorade. Belon, 186.

Chryfophry Caii opufc. 112. Aurata. Rondel. 115. Gefner

pifc. 110. 112.

Gilt-head or Gilt-poll. WiL Icth. 307. Rati fyn. pifc. 131.

Spams dorfo acutiflimo, linea arcuata inter oculos. Arted. fynon. 63.

Sparus lunula aurea inter ocu- los. Lin. fyfl. 467. Gro- 7io<v. Zoopb. No. 220.

THIS is one of the pifces faxatiles, or fifh that haunt deep waters on bold rocky fhores : thofe that form this genus, as well as the following, feed chiefly on Ihell fifh, which they comminute with their teeth before they fwallow; the teeth of this genus in particular being extreme- ly well adapted for that purpofe, the grinders be- ing flat and ftrong, like thofe of certain quadru- peds : belides thofe are certain bones in the low- er part of the mouth, which affift in grinding their food.

They

Class IV. G I L T - H E A D. *4*

They are but a coarfe fifh ; nor did the Ro- mans hold them in any efteem, except they had fed on the Lucrine oyfter.

Non omnis laudem pretiumque Aurata meretur^ Scd cui/olus erit concha Lucrina cibus *.

No praife, no price a GHt+head e'er will take, Unfed with oyflers of the Lucrine lake.

They grow to the weight of ten pounds: the Bescrip, form of the body is deep, not unlike that of a bream : the back is very iharp, and of a dufky green color : the irides of a filvery hue : between the eyes is a femilunar gold colored fpot, the horns of which point towards the head : on the upper part of the gills is a black fpot, beneath that a- nother of purple.

Thedorfaifin extends almoft the whole length of the back, and confifts of twenty-four rays, the eleven firft fpiny, the others foft : the pe&oral fins confift of feventeen foft rays ; the ventral of fix rays, the firft of which is very ftrong and fpiny: the anal fin of fourteen ; the three firft fpiny.

The tail is much forked.

It takes its name from its predominant color; Color* that of the forehead and fides being as if gilt, but the laft is tinged with brown.

* Martial. Lib. XIII. Ep. 90.

R Pagur*

242

RED GILT-HEAD. Class IV.

113. Red. Fagur ? Ovid Halieut. 107. Le Pagrus. Be/on, 245. Pagrus. Rondel. 142. Gefner

pifc. 656. Sea Bream. Wil. Icth, 312. Rati fyn. pifc. 131.

Sparus rubefcens, cute ad ra- dicem pinnarum dorfi et ani in finum produ&a. Arted. fynpn. 64.

Sparus Pagrus. Lin.Jyft. /^6g.

Descri;

Color.

THIS fpecies grows to a fize equal with that of the former : its fhape and the figure of the teeth are much the fame.

The irides are filvery 1 the infide of the covers of the gills, the mouth, and the tongue, are of a line red.

At the bafe of the pectoral fins is a ferruginous fpot.

What is peculiar to this fpecies is, that the fkin at the end of the dorfal and anal fins is gathered up, and hides the laft rays.

The fcales are large : the tail forked.

The color of the whole body is red.

"Brama

Class IV. TOOTHED GILT-HEAD. 243

Brama marina cauda forcipata D. Jonjlon. Rati Jyn. pifc. 115. 114, Tootf =

eq,

npHIS fpecies was communicated to Mr. Ray -*- by his friend Mr. Jonfton, a York/hire gen- tleman, who informed him it was found on the fands near the mouth of the Tees, Sept. 18, 1681.

It was a deep fifh, formed like a roch, twenty- fix inches long, ten broad, and grew very (lender towards the tail.

The eyes large, like thofe of quadrupeds. In the lower jaws were two rows of teeth, flender and fharp as needles ; and on each fide a flender canine tooth : in the upper only a fingle row of teeth. The aperture of the gills very large. The body fcaly.

In the middle of the back was one fin extending almoft to the tail ; the feven firft rays high, the reft low : behind the vent is another, correfponding : both are entirely covered with fcales flated over each other.

The back black ; the fides of a brighter color 1 the belly quite of a filvery brightnefs.

R 2 Covers

244

WRASSE,

Class IV,

XXVI.

WRASSE,

Covers of the gills fcaly.

Branchioftegous rays unequal in number *.

Teeth conic, long and blunt at their ends. One

tuberculated bone in the bottom of the throat :

two above oppofite to the other. One dorfal fin reaching the whole length of the back : a (lender fkin extending beyond the end of

each ray. Rounded tail.

115. An- Vieille, Poule de mer, Gal- tient. lot, une RoiTe. Belony

248. Turdorum undecimum genus. Rondel. 179. Gefner pifc. 1019. Turdus vulgatiflimus. Wil. Icth. 319.

Wraffe, or Old Wife. Rail

fyn. pifc. 136. Labrus roftro furfum reflexo

cauda in extremo circular!.

Arted. fynon. 56. Labrus Tinea. Lin. Jyft.

477.-

THIS fpecies is found in deep water adja- cent to the rocks. It will take a tbait, though its ufual food is fhell-fifh, and fmall cru- ftacea.

* Linnaus fays fix : this fpecies had only four ; the fecond, fix ; the third and fourth, fiye. We alfo find the fame vari- ation in the rays of the fins, the numbers being different in fifii of the fame fpecies, not only of this but of other ge- fiera.

it

Class IV. WRASSE. 245

ft grows to the weight of four or five pounds : it bears fome refemblance to a carp in the form of the body, and is covered with large feales.

The nofe projects ; the lips are large and flefhy, Teeth. and the one turns up, the other hangs down : the mouth is capable of being drawn in or protrud- ed.

The irides are red : the teeth are difpofed in two rows ; the firft are conic, the fecond very minute, and as if fupporters to the others : in the throat juft before the gullet are three bones, two above of an oblong form, and one below of a triangular lhape; the furface of each rifing into roundifh pro- tuberances: thefe are of fingular ufe to the fifh, to grind its fhelly food before it arrives at the (lomach.

The dorfal fin confifts of fixteen (harp and fpiny rays, and nine foft ones, which are much longer than the others.

The pectoral fins large and round, and are com- pofed of fifteen rays.

The ventral of fix; the firft fharp and ftrong: the anal of three fharp fpines, and nine flexible.

The tail is rounded at the end, and is formed of fourteen foft branching rays.

The lateral line much incurvated near the tail.

Thefe fifh vary infinitely in color : we have feen ' £0LOR, them of a dirty red, mixed with a certain dufkinefs ; others moil beautifully ftriped, efpecially about

R 3 the

246 BALLAN WRASSE. Class IV.

the head, with the richeft colors, fuch as blue, red, and yellow. Moft of this genus arc fubject to vary -, therefore care mull be taken not to mul- tiply the fpecies from thefe accidental teints, but to attend to the form which never alters.

The Welch call this fifti Gwracb, or the old woman \ the Fernch, la Vieille \ and the Englijh give it the name of Old Wife,

LAN.

n6. Bal- /TpHIS is a kind of JVraJfe, fent from Scar-

"*' borough by Mr. 'Travis, differing from the other fpecies. They appear during fummer in great fhoals off Filey- Bridge : the Iargeft weigh about five pounds.

It was of the form of the common wratfe, only between the dorfal fin and the tail was a confider- able finking : above the nofe was a deep fulcus : on the fartheft cover of the gills was a depreflion radiated from the center.

It had only four branchioftegous rays.

The dorfal fin had thirty-one rays, twenty fpiny, eleven foft; the laft branched, and much longer than the fpiny rays.

The pectoral fins had fourteen ; the ventral fix ; the firft of which was fhort and fpiny : the anal twelve; the three firft fpiny, the nine others branched and foft,

The

:0**r-

^

Class IV. BIMACULATED WRASSE. 24?

The tail was rounded at the end ; at the bot- tom, for about a third part of the way, between each ray was a row of fcales.

The color in general was yellow, fpotted with

orange.

Labrus bimaculata. L. pinna Sciama bimaculata. Mus. Ad. 117-^IMA"

dorfali ramentacea, macula Fred. I. 66. tab. XXXI. culatejd.

fufca in latere medio, et Jig. 66. ad caudam. Lin. fyft. 477.

MR. Brunnkh obferved this fpecias at Pen- zance9 and referred me to Linnaus's defcrip- tion of it in the Mufeum Ad. Fred, where it is de- fcribed under the name of Sciana Bimaculata.

The body is pretty deep, and of a light color, Descri: marked in the middle on each fide with a round brown fpot; on the upper part of the bafe of the tail is another : the lateral line is incurvated.

The branchioftegous rays are fix in number*: the firft fifteen rays of the dorfal fin are fpiny 9 the

* Linnaus, in his laft edition, has removed this fpecies from the genus of Sciana, to that of Labrus, though it does not agree with the laft in his number of branchioftegous rays.

R 4 other

248 TRIMACULATED WRASSE. Class IV.

other eleven fofr, and lengthened by a fkinny ap- pendage : the pectoral fins confift of fifteen rays ; the ventral of fix ; the firft fpiny ; the fecond and third ending in a (lender bridle: the anal fin is pointed ; the four firft rays being Ihort and fpiny ; the reft long and foft.

118. Trima- ^TpHE fpecies we examined was taken on the

culated. X coaft 0f Anglefea\ its length was eight inches.

It was of an oblong form ; the nofe long ; the

teeth (lender ; the fore teeth much longer than the

others.

The eyes large : branchioftegous rays, five. The back fin confiding of feventeen fpiny rays$ and thirteen foft ones; beyond each extended a long nerve.

The pectoral fins were round, and confided of fifteen branched rays.

The ventral fins confifted of fix rays ; the firft fpiny.

The anal fin of twelve; the three firft fhort, very ftrong, and fpiny ; the others foft and branch- 1 ed.

The tail was" rounded.

The lateral line was ftrait at the beginning of the back, but grew incurvated towards the tail.

The

IP

Class IV. STRIPED WRASSE. 249

The body covered with large red fcales \ the co- vers of the gills with fmall ones.

On each fide of the lower part of the back fin were two large fpots, and between the fin and the tail another.

THIS was taken off the Skerry IJles, on the 119. Strip- coaft of Angle fea\ its length was ten inches. The form was oblong, but the beginning of Descrip. the back a little arched: the lips large, double, and much turned up : the teeth like thofe of the preceding : branchioftegous rays, five.

The number of rays in the back, pectoral, and ventral fins, the fame as in thofe of the former.

In the anal fin were fifteen rays \ the three firft ftrong and fpiny.

The tail almoft even at the end, being very little rounded : the covers of the gills cinereous, ftriped with fine yellow.

The fides marked with four parallel lines of Color, greenifh olive, and the fame of mod elegant blue.

The back and belly red -, but the laft of a much paler hue, and under the throat almoft yellow.

Along the beginning of the back fin was a broad bed of rich blue; the middle part white j the reft red.

At

250 GIBBOUS WRASSE. Class IV.

At the bafe of the pectoral fins was a dark olive fpot.

The ends of the anal fin, and ventral fins, a fine blue.

The upper half of the tail blue ; the lower part of its rays yellow.

1 20. Gib- atta HIS fpecies was taken off Anglejea : its length

•** was eight inches ; the greateft depth three : it was of a very deep and elevated form, the back being vaftly arched, and very fharp or ridged.

From the beginning of the head to the nofe, was a fteep declivity.

The teeth like thofe of the others.

The eyes of a middling fize \ above each a dufky femilunar fpot.

The neareft cover of the gills finely ferrated.

The fixteen firft rays of the back ftrong and fpiny ; the other nine foft and branched.

The pectoral fins confided of thirteen, the ven- tral of fix rays •, the firft ray of the ventral fin was ftrong and fharp.

The anal fin confided of fourteen rays, of which the three firft were ftrongly aculeated.

The tail was large, rounded at the end, and the

rays

la.xcvir.

COMBER WRASSE .

JWJV2.

A^T I E^T WRJV SSE?

jstojis.

GOLDSIU-NY

jsr.°j2i.

MUfcti U

Class IV. G O L D S I N N Y. 25I

rays branched ; the ends of the rays extending be- yond the webs.

The lateral line was incurvated towards the tail.

The gill covers and body covered with large fcales.

The firft were moft elegantly fpotted, and ftriped Color. with blue and orange, and the fides fpotted in the fame manner ; but neareft the back the orange was diipofed in {tripes : the back fin and anal fin were of a fea green, fpotted with black.

The ventral fins and tail a fine pea green.

The pectoral fins yellow, marked at their bafe with tranfverfe ftripes of red.

Goldiinny Cornubienjlum, Mr. jf ago. Raiifyn. pifc. 163. 121. Gold*

fig- 3'

^Tp HIS and the two following fpecies were dif- •*■ covered by Mr. J ago on the coaft of Corn- wall we never had an opportunity of examining them, therefore are obliged to have recourfe to his defcriptions, retaining their local names.

In the whole form of the body, lips, teeth, and fins, it refembles the Wraffe: it is faid never to exceed a palm in length : near the tail is a remark- able

SINNY

252 COMBER. Class IV.

able black fpot : the firft rays of the dorfal fin are tinged with black.

The Melanurus of Rondeletius (adds he) takes its name from the black fpot near the tail; but in many inftances it differs widely from this fpecies, the tail of the firft is forked, that of the Goldfinny is even at the end.

I fufpect that this fpecies was fent to me from Cornwal Befides the fpot near the tail, there was another near the vent.

In the dorfal fin were fixteen fpiny, and nine foft rays : in the pectoral fourteen : in the anal three fpiny, eleven foft : in the ventral fix. The tail almoft even at the end.

BER,

Comber Cornub. Raiijyn. pifc. 163. jig. 5 ?

T RECEIVED this fpecies from Cornwall and "*■ fuppofe it to be the Comber ©f Mr. Jago.

It was of a flender form. The dorfal fin had twenty fpiny, eleven foft rays : the pectoral four- teen : the ventral five : the anal three fpiny, kvcn foft. The tail round.

The color of the back, fins, and tail, red : the belly yellow : beneath the lateral line ran parallel

a fmooth,

Class IV. COOK. z53

a fmooth, even ftripe from gills to tail, of a filvery color,

Cook (i.e. Coquus) Cornubienfium. Rait fyn. pifc» 163. 123. C0OK0 fig* 4-

^TpHIS fpecies, Mr. J ago fays, is fometimes ■*■ taken in great plenty on the Cornifh coafts. It is a fcaly fifh, and does not grow to any great fize. The back is purple and dark blue; the belly yellow. By the figure it feems of the fame ftiape as the Comber, and the tail rounded.

Befides thefe fpecies we recoiled feeing taken at the Giant's Caufeway in Ireland, a moft beautiful kind of a vivid green, fpotted with fcarlet; and others at Bandooran, in the county of Slzgo, of a pale green. We were at that time inattentive to this branch of natural hiftory, and can only fay they were of a fpecies we have never fince feen.

The

254

PERCH.

Class IV.

XXVI. PERCH,

The edges of the gill-covers ferrated. Seven branchioftegous rays. Body covered with rough fcales. Firfl dorfal fin fpiny j the fecond foft *.

124. Com- mon.

U^ftvi Arift. Hift. an. Lib.

VI. c. 14. Perca Aufonii Mofella, 115. Une Perche de riviere. Belon,

291. Perca fluviatilis. Rondel, fiu-

<viat. 196. Gefner pifc. 698. Ein Barfs. Schonevelde, 55. A Perch. Wil lab. 291. Rait

fyn.pifc. 97. Perca Hneis utrinque fex

pinms Arted.

pinnis fecun-

tranfverfis nigris,

ventralibus rubris.

Jynon. 66. Perca fluviatilis. P.

dorfalibus diftinclis,

da radiis fedecim. Lin.fyfi,

481. Gronov. Zooph. No.

301. Abboree. Faun. Suec. No. 332. Perfchling, Barfchieger. Kram.

384. WulffBorufs. No. 27.

THE perch of Arifiotle and Aufonius is the fame with that of the moderns. That men- tioned by Oppian, Pliny, and Athenaus-\, is a fea-fim probably of the Labrus or Sparus kind, being enumerated by them among fome congene-

* The Rujfe is an exception, having only one dorfal fin, but the fourteen firft rays of it are fpiny.

f Oppian Halieut, I. 124, Plinii Lib* IX, c. 16. Athenaus Lib. VII. p. 319.

rous

>£

PERCH.

JVP J24.

A

SEA PERCH,

JTP126.

4^nfjitlu I

Class IV, PERCH. 355

rous fpecies. Our perch was much efteemed by the Romans : „

Nee te delict as men/arum Perca, Jilebo

Amnigenos inter pi fees dignande marinis, Ausonius.

It is not lefs admired at prefent as a firm and de- licate fifh; and the Dutch are particularly fond of it when made into a dim called Water Souchy.

It is a gregarious fifh, and loves deep holes and gentle ftreams. It is a mod voracious fifh, and eager biter : if the angler meets with a fhoal of them, he is fure of taking every one.

It is a common notion that the pike will not attack this fifh, being fearful of the fpiny fins which the perch erects on the approach of the former. This may be true in refpecl: to large fifh ; but it is well known the fmall ones are the mofl tempting bait that can be laid for the pike.

The perch is a fifh very tenacious of life : we have known them carried near fixty miles in dry ftraw, and yet furvive the journey.

Thefe fifh feldom grow to a large fize : we once Size. heard of one that was taken in the Serpentine river, Hyde-Park, that weighed nine pounds, but that it is very uncommon.

The body is deep : the fcales very rough: the Descrip. back much arched : fide-line near the back.

The irides golden : the teeth fmall, difpofed in the jaws and on the roof of the mouth: the edges

of

2s6 PERCH. Class l\\

of the covers of the gills ferrated: on the lower end of the largeft is a (harp fpine;

The firft dorfal fin con fids of fourteen flrong fpiny rays : the fecond of fixteen foft ones : the pectoral fins are tranfparent, and confifl of fourteen rays ; the ventral of fix ; the anal of eleven. The tail is a little forked. Color. The colors are beautiful : the back and part of

the fides being of a deep green, marked with five broad black bars pointing downwards : the belly is white, tinged with red : the ventral fins of a rich fcarlet ; the anal fins and tail of the fame color, but rather paler. Crooked In a lake called Llyn Raithlyn, in Merioneth/hire^ Perch. js a yery fingUiar variety of perch: the back is quite hunched, and the lower part of the back bone, next the tail, ftrangely di (tor ted : in color, and in other refpecls, it refembles the common kind, which are as numerous in the lake as thefe deformed fifh. They are not peculiar to this water, for Linnaeus takes notice of a fimilar variety found at Fablun, in his own country. I have alfo heard that it is to be met with in the Thames near Mar- low.

Aatyai

Glass IV. BASSE, 257

Aa£?a|? Arift. Hijl. an. lib. Rati fyn. fife. 83. 125.

IV. c. 10. &c. Perca radiis pinnae dorfalis fe-

Lupus ? Ovid. Halieut. 1 12. cundas tredecim, ani qua-

Le Bar, le Loup. Belon, 113. tuordecim. Arted. fyhon. 69.

Lupus. Rondel. 268. Gefner Perca Labrax. Lin. fyft. 482.

///?. 506. Grono<v. Zoopb. No. 300. A Baffe. /F/7. irf£. 271.

^TpHE baffe is a ftrong, active, and voracious ** fifh : Owi calls them rapidi lupi9 a name con- tinued to them by after-writers.

That which we had an opportunity of examining Sizt< was fmall •, but they are faid to grow to the weight of fifteen pounds.

The irides are filvery : the mouth large : the teeth are fituated in the jaws, and are very fmall : in the roof of the mouth is a triangular rough fpace, and juft at the gullet are two others of a roundilh form.

The fcales are of a middling fize, are very thick fet, and adhere clofely.

The firft dorfal fin has nine ftrong fpiny rays, of which the firft is the fhortefl, the middlemoft the higheft •, the fecond dorfal fin con fills of thir- teen rays, the firfl fpiny, the others foft.

The pectoral fins have fifteen Jbft rays ; the ven- tral fix rays, the firft fpiny : the anal fourteen rays, the three firft fpiny, the others foft : the tail is a little forked.

Vol. Ill, S The

SEA PERCH. Class IV.

The body is formed fomewhat like that of a fal- mon.

The color of the back is dufky, tinged with blu£.

The belly white. In young fifh the fpace above the fide line is marked with fmall black fpots.

It is efteemed a very delicate fifh.

126. Sea. Une Perche de mer. Belon, Perca marina. P. pinnis dor*

163. falibus unitis XV. fpinofis,

Perca marina. Salvia* , 225. XIV. muticis, corpore litu-

Rondel. 182. Wil. Icth. 327. ris variegato, Lin, Jyft. 483.

Raii fyn. pifc* 140.

*np HIS fpecies is about afoot long: the head •*• large and deformed : eyes great : teeth fmall and numerous. On the head and covers of the gills are ftrong fpines. The dorfal fin is furnifh- ed with fifteen ftrong fpiny rays, and fourteen foft : the pedtoral with eighteen : the ventral with one fpiny, and five foft : the anal with three fpiny, and eight foft: the tail, even at the end : the lateral line parallel to the back. The color red, with a black fpot on the covers of the gills, and fome tranfverfe dufky lines on the fides. It is a fifh held in fome efteem at the table.

Cernua

Class IV.

R U

V E.

«59

Cernua. Be/on, 186.

Percae fluviatilis genus minus.

Gefner pifc. 701. Afpredo. Caii opufc. 107. Ein ftuer, ftuer barfs. S clone-

<velde, 56. Cernua fluviatilis. Wil. Icth.

334- Ruire. Rail fin. pifc. 143. Perca dorfo monopterygio, ca-

pitecavernofo. Arted.fyn.6%.

Perca cernua. P. pinnis dor-

falibus unitis radiis 27.

ipinis 15. cauda bifida.

L;n- fyft' 48^. Grono-v.

Zooph. No. Giers, Snorgers. Faun. Suec,

No. 119. Schroll, PfafFenlaus. Scbaeff.

pifc. 37. Tab. II. Wulff

Borufs. No. 35.

127.

Ruffe,

^TpHIS fifh is found in feveral of the Englijh

ftreams : it is gregarious, aflembling in large

ihoals, and keeping in the deepeft part of the water.

It is of a much more (lender form than the perch, and feldom exceeds fix inches in length.

The teeth are very fmall, and dilpofed in rows.

It has only one dorfal fin extending along the greateft part of the back : the firft rays, like thofe of the perch, are ftrong, iharp, and fpiny, the others foft.

The pectoral fins confift of fifteen rays ; the ventral of fix ; the anal of eight ; the two firft ftrong and fpiny : the tail a little bifurcated.

The body is covered with rough compact fcales.

The back and fides are of a dirty green, the laft inclining to yellow, but both fpotted with black.

The dorfal fin is fpotted with black : the tail marked with tranfverfe bars.

S3 The

*€» BLACK RUFF E. Class W*

h2$. Black. The Black Fifh. Mr. J ago. Borlafe Cornwall, 27 u

Tab. XXV. Jig. 8.

MR. Jago has left fo brief a defcription of this fiJhj that we find difficulty in giving it a proper clafs : it agrees with the Ruffe in the form of the body, and the fmallhefs of the teeth, in having a fingle extenfive fin on the back, a forked tail, and being of that fection of bony fifh, termed Thoracic.-' thele appear by the figure, the teeth excepted. The other characters muft be borrowed from the defcription.

" It is fmooth, with very fmall thin fcales, fif- " teen inches long, three quarters of an inch " broad ; head and nofe like a peal or trout ; " little mouth ; very fmall teeth, beginning from " the nofe four inches and three quarters, near " fix inches long •, a forked tail ; a large double " noftril. Two taken at Loo, May 26, 1721, in " the Sean, near the more, in fandy ground with " fmall ore weed,"

Three

If

Class IV. THREE SPINED S. BACK.

?6i

Three branchioftegous rays. The belly covered with bony plates. One dorfal fin, with feveral fharp fpines between it and the head.

XXVIII.

STICKLE BACK.

La Grande Efpinoche, un

Epinard, une Artiere. Be-

lon, 328. Pifciculi aculeati prius genus.

Rondel, jlwviat. 206. Ge/ner

pifc. 8. Stickleback, Banftickle, or

Sharpling. Wil. Icth. 341.

Raiifyn. pifc. 145.

Gafterofteus aculeis in dorfo

tribus. Arted. fynon. 80. Gafterofteus aculeatus. Lin. fyft. 489. Grono^v. Zooph.

No. 406. Spigg, Horn-fifk. Faun. Suec.

No. 336. Stichling, Stachel-fifch. Wulff

Bcrufs. No. 37.

I29. 1 HREI

Spin ei?.

THESE are common in many of our rivers, but no where in greater quantities than in the Fens of Lincoln/hire^ and fome of the rivers that creep out of them. At Spalding there are, once in feven or eight years, amazing (hoals thac appear in the Welland^ and come up the river in form of a vaft column. They are fuppofed to be the multitudes that have been warned out of the fens by the floods of feveral years, and collected in fome deep hole, till overcharged with numbers, they are periodically obliged to attempt a change of place. The quantity is fo great, that they are V^kd to manure the land, and trials have been made

S3 to

262 TEN SPINED S. BACK. Class IV.

to get oil from them. A notion may be had of this vaft fhoal, by faying that a man employed by the farmer to take them, has got for a confiderable time four millings a day by felling them at a half- penny per bufhel. Descrip. This fpecies feldorn reaches the length of two inches : the eyes are large : the belly prominent : the body near the tail fquare : the fides are covered with large bony plates, placed tranfverfely.

On the back are three fharp fpines, that can be raifed or depreffed at pleafure : the dorfal fin is placed near the tail : the pectoral fins are broad : the ventral fins confift each of one fpine, or rather plate, of unequal lengths, one being large, the other fmall ; between both is a flat bony plate, reaching; almoft to the vent : beneath the vent is a fliort fpine, and then fucceeds the anal fin.

The tail confiits of twelve rays, and is even ac the end.

The color of the back and fides is an olive green ; the belly white ; but in fome the lower jaws and belly are of a bright crimfon.

130. Ten La petite Efpinoche. Belon, Gafterofteus aculeis in dorfo

Spin ED. 328. decern. Arted. fynon. 80.

Piiciculi aculeati alterum ge- Gafterofleus pungitius. Lin.

nus. Rondel, fiwviat. 206. fyft. 491. Grono<v. Zoopb.

Gefner pifc. 8. No. 405.

Leffer Stickleback. WiL Icth. Benunge, Gaddfur, Gorquad.

342. Rati fyn. pifc. 145. Faun. Suec. No. 337.

T

HIS fpecies is much fmaller than the former,

and of a more (lender make.

The

Class IV. FIFTEEN SPINED S. BACK.

The back is armed with ten fhort fharp fpines, which do not incline the fame way, but crofs each other.

The fides are fmooth, not plated like thofe of the preceding : in other particulars it refembles the former.

The color of the back is olive : the belly filvery

Aculeatus, five Pungitius ma- fyn. pifc. 145^ 13 *'•

rinus longus, Stein-bicker, Gailerofteus aculeis in dorfo Fifteen

Ers&ruper. Schone-velde, 10. quindecim. Arted.fynon. 81. Spined.

Tab. IV. Sib. Scot. III. Gaiterofteus fpinachia. Lin.

24. Tab. 19. fyft. 492. Grono-v. Xcopb.

Aculeatus marinus major. Wil. No. 407. Faun. Suec. No,

Icth. 340. App. 23. Rati 338.

T

HIS fpecies inhabits the fea, and is never found in frefh water.

Its length is above fix inches : the nofe is long and fiender : the mouth tubular : teeth fmall.

The fore part of the body is covered on each fide with a row of bony plates, forming a ridge ; the body afterwards grows very fiender, and is quadrangular.

Between the head and the dorfal fin are fifteen fmall fpines : the dorfal fin is placed oppofite the anal fin : the ventral fins are wanting.

The tail is even at the end.

The color of the upper part is a deep brown :

the belly white,

S jl Seven

z6$

U A C K R E L.

Class IV.

XXIX. MACKREL,

Seven branchioftegous rays. Several fmall fins between the dorfal fin and the tail

?32. Com- mon*

2>i6(ji,£go$. Ariji. Hiji. an. Lib.

VI. c. 17. IX. c. 2. Jthe-

naus, Lib. III. 121. Mil.

32 1. Oppian Halieut.l. 142. Scomber. 0<vid Halieut. 94.

PliniiLib.lX.c15.XXXl.

c. 8. Macarello, Scombro. Salvia??.

241 .

Le Macreau. Belon, 197. Scomber. Rondel. 233. Gef- ner pifc. 841. (pro 861.)

Makerel. Schone<velde, 66. Mackrell, or Macarel. Wil.

Icth. 181. Raiifyn.pifc. 58. Scomber pinnulis quinque in

extremo dorfo, polyptery-

gio, aculeo brevi ad anum.

Arted. fynon. 48. Scomber Scomber. Lin. fyjl.

492. Grono-j. Zoopb. No.

3°4- Mackrill. Faun. Suec. No.

339-

Oa^uh.

THE mackrel is a fummer nfh of pafTage that vifits our fhores in vaft fhoals. It is lefs ufeful than other fpecies of gregarious fifh, being very tender, and unfit for carriage •, not but that it may be preferved by pickling and faking, a method, we believe, praetifed only in Cornwall f9 where it proves a great relief to the poor during winter.

It was a fifh greatly efteemed by the Romans,

'* This is the firfl opportunity we have had of looking into Sahianus, whofe Italian fynonyms we make ufe of. f Borlafi Cornwall, 269.

becaufe

Class IV. M A C K R E L. 265

becaufe it furnifhed the pretious Garum, a fort of pickle that gave a high relifh to their fauces, and was befides ufed medicinally. It was drawn from different kinds of fifh, but that made from the mackrel had the preference : the beft was made at Carthagena^ vaft quantities of mackrel being taken near an adjacent ifle, called from that cir- cumstance, Scombraria * ; and the Garum, prepar- ed by a certain company in that city, bore a high price, and was diftinguifhed by the title of Garam S odor urn .-f\

This fifh is eafily taken by a bait, but the bed time is during a frefh gale of wind, which is thence called a mackrel gale.

In the fpring the eyes of mackrel are almoft cover- ed with a white film -, during which period they are half blind. This film grows in winter, and is cad the beo;innino; of fummer.

It is not often that it exceeds two pounds in Size weight, yet we heard that there was one fold lad fummer in London that weighed five and a quarter.

The nofe is taper and fharp-pointed : the eyes Descrip. large : the jaws of an equal length : the teeth fmall3 but numerous.

The form of this* fifh is very elegant.

The body is a little compreiTed on the fides ? towards the tail it grows very flender, and a little angular.

* Strabo Lib. III. 109. f Plimi lib. XXXI. c. 8,

The

266 TUNNY. Class IV.

The firft dorfal fin is placed a little behind the pectoral fin, is triangular, and confifts of nine or ten ft iff rays ; the fecond lies at a diftance from the other, and has twelve fofc rays ; the pectoral twenty ; the ventral fix : at the bafe of the anal fin is a ftrong fpine.

Between the laft dorfal fin and the tail, are five fmall fins, and the fame number between the anal fin and the tail. Color. The tail is broad and femilunar : the color of the

back and fides above the lateral line, is a fine green, varied with blue, marked with black lines, pointing downwards ; beneath the line the fides and belly are of a filvery color.

It is a mod beautiful fim when alive \ for nothing can equal the brilliancy of its color, which death impairs, but does not wholly obliterate.

133-TuNNr. Qbvvog. Arifi. Hiji. an. Lib. Tunny fifh, or Spanifh Mack-

II. c. 13. &c. Atbentfus, rell. Wil. Ictb. 176. Rail

Lib. VII. 301. Oppian Ha- fyn. pifc. $7. Sibbald Scot,

lieut. III. 620. Scomber pinnulis otto vel

Thunnus. Ovid Halieut. 95. novem in extremo dorfo, ex

Plinii Lib. IX. c. 15. fulco ad pinnas ventrales.

Tonno. Salvian. 123. Arted. fynon. 49.

Le Thon. Belen, 99. Scomber Thunnus. Sc. pin-

Thunnus. Rondel. 241. Gef- nulis utrinque oclo. Lin,

ner pifc. 957. fyfi. 493. GroHov. Zooph.

Thunnus vel orcynus. Schone- No. 305. *ve/de9 75.

THE tunny was a fifh well known to the an- tients, it made a confiderable branch of com- merce ;

Class IV. TUNNY, 267

merce -, the time of its arrival into the Mediterra- nean from the ocean was obferved, and (lations for taking them eftablifhed in places it molt frequent- ed ; the eminencies above the fifhery were flyled ®uvvQcrKQ7rEiu*9 and the watchmen that gave notice to thofe below of the motions of the fifh, Gtuwoo-Kowoi -f. From one of the former the lover in Theocritus threatened to take a defperate leap, on account of his miftrefs's cruelty.

Tav Galrav aTrodvg e~$ HUfiara tyivcc atev/xai

X2tt£ j> rag 0TNNIX2 (moma&Tcu *0?.t^ 0 ygmEug.

Do you not hear ? then, rue your Goat-herd's fate, For, from the rock where Olpis doth defcry The numerous Thunny, I will plunge and die.

The very fame ftation, in all probability, is at this time made ufe of, as there are very confider- able thunny fifheries on the coaft of Sicily y as well as feveral other parts of the Mediterranean^ , where they are cured, and make a great article of pro- vifion in the adjacent kingdoms. They are caught

* Strabo Lib. V. 156.

f Oppian Halieut. III. 638. This perfon anfwers to what the Cornijb call a Huer, who watches the arrival of the pil- chards.

X Many of them are the fame that were ufed by the antients, as we learn from Oppian and others.

in

263 TUNNY. Class IV..

in nets, and amazing quantities are taken, for they come in vaft fhoals, keeping along the fhores.

They frequent our coafts, but not in fhoals like the Tunnies of the Mediterranean. They are not uncommon in the Lochs on the weftern coaft of Scotland -, where they come in purfuit of herrings ; and, often during night, ftrike into the nets, and do confiderable damage. When the fifhermen draw them up in the morning, the Tunny rifes at the fame time towards the furface, ready to catch the fifh that drop out. On perceiving it, a ftrong hook baited with a herring, and fattened to a rope, is inftantly flung out, which the Tunny feldom fails to take. As foon as hooked, it lofes all fpi- rit ; and after a very little reflflance, fubmits to its fate. It is dragged to the fhore and cut up, either to be fold frefh to people who carry it to the country markets, or is preferved faked in large calks.

The pieces, when frefh, look exactly like raw beef; but when boiled turn pale, and have fome- thing of the flavor of falmon.

One, which was taken when I was at Invera- ray in 1769, and was weighed for my information, weighed .<\6o pounds.

The fi(h, I examined, was feven feet ten inches long ; the greateft circumference five feet feven ; the left near the tail one foot fix. The body was round and thick, and grew fuddenly very flender pvvards the tail \ and near that part was angular,

The

Class IV. S C A D. 269

The hides were of a pale green : the teeth very mi- nute.

The firfb dorfal fin confided of thirteen ftrong fpines •, which, when deprefied, were fo concealed in a deep (lit in the back, as to be quite invifible till very clofely infpected. Immediately behind this fin was another, tall and falciform : almoft oppofite to it, was the anal fin, of the fame form. The fpurious fins were of a rich yellow color : of thefe there were eleven above, and ten below.

The tail was in form of a crefcent \ and two feet feven inches between tip and tip.

The ikin on the back was fmooth, very thick, and black. On the belly the fcales were vifible. The color of the fides and belly filvery, tinged with casrulean and pale purple : near the tail mar- bled with grey.

They are known on the coaft of Scotland by the name of Mackrelfture : Mackrel, from being of that genus ; and fture, from the Dani/h, ftor^ great.

Sauro. Salvia?!. 79. Ictb. zqo. Raiijyn. pifc. gz. j,^# Scad

Un Sou, Macreau baftard. Scomber linea laterali acule-

Belon, 186. ata, pinna ani oiljculorum

Trachurus. Rondel. 233. 30. Arted. fynon. 50.

Lacertus Bellonii. Gefner pife. Scomber Trachurus. Sc. pin-

467. nis unitis, fpina dorfali re-

Mufeken, Stocker. Scbone- cumbente, linea laterali lo-

<velde> 75. ricata. Lin.fyft. 494. Gro-

Scad, Horfe-mackrell. WiL no-v. Zoopb. No. 308.

T

HAT which we examined was llxteen inches

long : the nofe (harp \ the eyes very large ;

the

270 S C A D. Class IV.

the irides filvery : the lower jaw a little longer than the upper : the edges of the jaws were rough, but without teeth.

On the upper part of the covers of the gills was a large black fpot.

The fcales were large and very thin : the low- er half of the body quadrangular, and marked each fide with a row of thick ftrong fcales, pro- minent in the middle, extending to the tail

The firft dorfal fin confided of eight firong fpines : the fecond lay juft behind it, and con- fided of thirty-four foft rays, and reached almoft to the tail. The pectoral fins narrow and long, and compofed of twenty rays : the ventral of fix branched rays.

The vent was in the middle of the belly ; the anal fin extended from it to the tail, which was greatly forked.

The head and upper part of the body varied with green and blue : the belly filvery.

This fifh was taken in the month of Ottober ; was very firm and well tailed, having the flavor of mackrel.

Head

Class IV. RED SURMULLET,

271

Head compreffed, flecD, and covered with fcales. XXX.

_ . \. n r SURMUI^

1 wo branchioltegous rays. LET.

Body covered with large fcales, eafily dropping off.

TfrAv > Arijl. Hift. an. Lib.

11. Oppian Halieut. I. 590. Tf/y^v; Zapguv. Athenausy

Lib. VII. 325. Mulius. Ovid Halieut. 123.

Plinii Lib. IX. c. 17. Triglia. Salvian. 235. Le Rouget barbe, Surmurlet.

Belon, 170. Mulius barbatus. Rondel 290.

Gefner pifc. 565.

Petermanneken , Goldeken.

Schone-velde, 47 . Mulius Bellonii. Wil. Icth.

285. Raii fyn. pifc. 90. TrigJa capite glabro, cirris

geminis in maxillainferiore.

Arted.fynon. 71. Mulius cirris geminis, corpore

rubro. Lin.fyft. 495. Gro-

7iov. Zoopb. No. 286.

*35

Red.

THIS fifh was highly efteemed by the Romans, and bore an exceeding high price. The capricious epicures of Horace's* days, valued it in proportion to its fize ; not that the larger were more delicious, but that they were more difficult to be got. The price that was given for one in the time of Juvenal, and Pliny ^ is a ftriking evidence of the luxury and extravagance of the age :

Mullum/IvY mil/ibus emit JE quant em fane paribus fejiertia libris f.

* Sat. Lib. II. / II. 33.

f Juvenal Sat. IV. 48 1, $s. o.d.

The

272 RED SURMULLET. Class IV.

The lavifh flave Six thoufand pieces for a Mullet gave, A feiterce for each pound. Dryden,

But Afinius Celer *, a man of confular dignity, / gave a (till more nnconfcionable fum, for he did not fcruple bellowing eight thoufand nummi, or lixty-four pounds eleven millings and eight-pence, for a fifti of fo fmall a fize as the mullet-, for ao, cording to Horace^ a Mullus trilibris^ or one of three pounds, was a great rarity -, fo that Juvenal's fpark muft have had a great bargain in comparifon of what Celer had.

But Seneca fays that it was not worth a farthing, except it died in the very hand of your gueft : that fuch was the luxury of the times, that there were (lews even in the eating rooms, fo that the fifh could at once be brought from under the table, and placed on it: that they put the mullets in tranfparent vafes, that they might be entertained with the various changes of its rich color while it lay expiring f. Apicius^ a wonderful genius

* Plin. Lib. IX. c. 17.

f In cubili natant pifces ; ei fub ipfa ?nenfa capitur, qui

Jlatim transferitur in me?ifam : parum <videtur recens mullus

niji qui in con<vi!v<£ manu moritur. Vitreis ollis incluji ojferuntur,

et obfer<vatur morienttum color, quern in mult as mutationes lu&ante

fpiritu vertit. Seneca Nat. Quaeft. Lib* III. c. 16,

X Ad omne luxus ingenium mirus.

for

Class IV.. RED SURMULLET,

for luxurious inventions, firft hit upon the method of fuffocating them in the exquifue Carthaginian * pickle, and afterwards procured a rich fauce from their liver6. This is the fame gentleman whom Pliny, in another place, honors with the title of Nepotum omnium altiffimus gurges -f , an exprefTior* too forcible to be{ rendered in our language.

We have heard of this fpeci.es being taken on the coaft of Scotland, but had no opportunity of examining it; and whether it is found in the weft of England with the other fpecies, or variety, we

are not at this time informed. Salvianus makes

<

it a diftincl fpecies, and fays, that it is of a purple color, ftriped with golden lines, and that it did not commonly exceed a palm in length : no wonder then that fuch a prodigy as one of fix pounds fhould fo captivate the fancy of the Roman epicure,

Mr. Ray eftablifhes feme other diftin£tions, fuch as the nrft dorfal fin having nine rays, and the color of that fin, the tail, and the pectoral fins, being of a very pale purple.

On thefe authorities we form different fpecies of thefe fifh, having only examined what Salvianus and Mr. Ray call the Mullus major ^ which w§ defcribe under the title of

# Garum Sociorum, vide p. 222, f Lib, X. c, 48.

Vol. in, ? MOim

274 STRIPED SURMULLET. Class IV.

136. Strip- Mullus major. Salvian. 236. utrinque quatuor luteis,

ed. Mullus major nofter et Sal- longitudinalibus, parallelis.

'viani. 95. Cornubienjibus. Arted. fynon. 72.

A Surmullet. Wil. Icth. 285. Mullus cirris geminis lineis

Rait fyn. pifc. 91. luteis longitudinalibus. Lin.

Trigla capite glabro, lineis fyjl. 496.

*~T">HIS ipecies was communicated to us by Mr. *** Pitfield of Exeter : its weight was two pounds and an half \ its length was fourteen inches j the thickeli circumference eleven. It appears on the coaft of Devonjhire in May, and retires about No* member.

The head fteep : the nofe blunt : the body thick : the mouth fmall : the lower jaw furnifhed with very fmall teeth: in the roof of the mouth is a rough hard fpace : at the entrance of the gullet above is a fingle bone, and beneath are a pair, each with echinated furfaces, that help to comminute the food before it pafTes down.

From the chin hung two beards, two inches and a half long.

The eyes large : the irides purple : the head atid covers of the gills very fcaly.

The firft dorfal fin was lodged in a deep fur- row, and confided of fix ftrong, but flexible rays; the fecond of eight ; the pectoral fins of fixteen \ the ventral of fix branched rays -9 the anal of fe- ven : the tail is much forked.

The

*

Class IV. STRIPED SURMULLET. 275

The body very thick, and covered with large fcales ; beneath them the color was a molt beau- tiful rofy red * ; the changes of which, under the thin fcales, gave that entertainment to the Roman epicures as above mentioned : the fcales on the back and fides were of a dirty orange; thofe on the nofe a bright yellow : the tail a reddifh yellow.

The fides .were marked lengthways with two lines of a light yellow color : thefe, with the red color of the dorfal fins, and the number of their rays, Mr. Ray makes the character of the Cornijh Surmullet : thefe are notes fo liable to vary by acci- dent, that till we receive further information from the inhabitants of our wejiern coafts, where thefe iim are found, we (hall remain doubtful whether we have done right in feparating this from the former, efpecially as DoElor Gronovius has pronoun- ced them to be only varieties.

* This color is mod vivid during fummer.

T 2 Nofe

*j6

GREY GURNARD. Class IV.

XXXI. GURNARD,

Nofe Hoping.

Head covered with flrong bony plates. Seven branchioftegous rays.

Three (lender appendages at the bafe of the pectoral fins.

37. Grey. Gurnatus feu Gurnardus gri- feus, the Grey Gurnard. WiL Icth. 279. Rail fyn. fife. 88. Trigla vario roftro diacantho, aculeis geminis ad utrum-

que oculura. Arted. fynon,

Trigla Gurnardus, Tr. digitis ternis dorfo maculis nigris rubrifque. Lin* fyfi. 497. Grono'v. Zooph. No. 283.

'"TpHE nofe pretty long, and Hoping: the end ■*■ bifurcated, and each fide armed with three fhort fpines.

The eyes very large •, above each were two fliort fpines : the forehead and ^covers of the gills fil- very \ the laft finely radiated.

The teeth fmall, placed in the lower and upper jaws, in the roof of the mouth, and bale of the

tongue.

Noftrils minute, and placed on the fides of the nofe.

On the extremity of the gill covers was a ftrong, tharp, and long fpine : beneath that, juft above the pectoral fins, another.

The

f

9

st

Class IV. GREY GURNARD. ijy

The firft dorfal fin confided of eight fpiny rays ; the fides of the three firft tuberculated.

The ftcond dorfal fin of nineteen foft rays : both fins lodged in a groove, rough on each fide, but not ferrated.

The pectoral fins do not extend as far as the anal fins, are tranfpa-rent, and fupported by ten rays, bifurcated from their middle : the three beards at their bafe as ufual.

The ventral fins had fix rays, the firft fpiny, and the morteft of all.

The anal fin nineteen, each foft.

The tail bifurcated.

The lateral line very prominent, ftrongly ferrat- ed, and of a filvery color.*

The back, tail, and a fmall fpace beneath the fide line, were of a deep grey, covered with fmall fcales, and in parts fpotted with white and yel- low •, the belly filvery.

Thefe fim are ufually taken with the hook in deep water, bite eagerly even at a red rag ; and fometimes are fond of fporting near the furface. They are often found of the length of two feet and a half.

T 3 Kcaw I \

2?8

RED GURNARD. Class IV,

138. Red. KokhuZ ? Arift. Bijl. an. lib. Scboncvelde, yz.

IV. c. 9 Oppian Halieut.l. Red Gurnard, or Rotchet.

WtL lab. 281. Raii fyn. pifc. 89. Trigla tota rubens, roflro pa- rum bicorni, operculis bran- chiarum flriatis. Arted fy- non. 74,

K.cxhv% tqufyc;, Athenaus lib.

VII. 309. Pefce capone, Cocco, Orga-

no. Sal<vian. 191. Le Rouget. Belon, 199

Cuculus. Rondel. 287. Gefner Trigla cuculus. Tr. digitis pifc. 305. ternis, linea laterali mutica.

Smiedecknecht, Kurre-fifche. Lin. Jyft. 497.

'TpHIS fpecies agrees in its general appearance with the tub fifh -, but in thefe particulars differs.

The covers of the gills are radiated : the fpines are longer and flenderer in thofe of the red gurnard. The nofe armed on each fide with two fliarp fpines.

The fins and body are of a fuller red: the fcales are larger : head lefs and narrower : the pedoral fins are edged with purple, not with blue: are much fhorter, for when extended they do not reach to the anal fin. The fide line is ftrongly ferrated : the top of the back lefs fo than that of the tub fifh. The tail red and almoft even at the end.

Avoot?

e-

Class IV. PIP E R.

79

Ayp« ? Arijl. Hifr. an. lib. Trigla roftro longo diacantho, 139. Piper

IV. c. 9. naribus tubulofis. Arted,

Lyra. Rondel. 298. Gefner fyn. 74.

pifc. 516. Trigla Lyra. Tr. digitis ter-

Th'e Piper. Wil. Icth. 282. nis, naribus tubulofis. Lin,

Raii fyn. pifc. 89. fyft, 496.

>"TpHIS fpecies is frequently taken on the weftern

"** coafts of this kingdom, and efteemed an excellent fifh. It is aifo found off Anglefea.

The weight of one which was communicated to us by Mr. Pitfield*^ was three pounds and aft half; the thicker!: circumference thirteen inches, the left, which was next the tail, only three : the length near two feet.

The head was very large, and that part of the body next to it very thick : the nofe divided into two broad plates, each terminated with three fpines: on the inner corner of each eye is a ftrong fpine: the bony plates of the head terminate on each fide with another.

The covers of the gills are armed with one very iharp and ftrong fpine, and are prettily ftriated : immediately over the pectoral fin is another fpine very large and fharp pointed.

* We have been informed, that this fifh is found at all times of the year on the weftern coafts, and is taken in nets,

T4 The

■ftlo SAPPH1RINE GURNARD. Class IV,

The noftrils very minute : the eyes large.

The lower jaw much fhorter than the upper: the teeth in both very minute.

The firft dorfal fin confifted of nine Very ftrdng fharp fpines^ the fecond of which is the longeft; the fecond fin begins juft behind the firft, and confifts of eighteen foft rays : the pectoral fins Were long, and had twelve branched rays •, the ventral fins fix, very ftrong and thick : the anal eighteen, the firft fpiny.fc the tail fmall, in proportion to the fize of the fifh, and forked.

The back on each fide the dorfal fin. was armed With a fet of ftrong and very large fpines, pointing towards the tail like the teeth of a faw.

The fcales were finally but very hard and rough t the lateral line bent a little at its beginning, that went ftrait to the tail, and was almoft fmooth.

jloo SAfrfrHi- T-iirundo Aldrov. The Tub- Trigla hirundo. Tr. digitis

rine, £&> Cornub. Wil, Icth.zSd. ternis, linea laterali acii*

Rati fyn. pifc. 88. leata. Lin. fyft. 497.

Trigla capite aculeato, ap* Knorrhane, Knoding, Knot,

pendicibus utriftque tribus Smed. Faun, Suec. No.

ad pinnas pe&orales. Arted. 340. fynon. 73.

T

HIS fpecies is of a more flender form than the preceding. The pupil of the eye is green : on the inner Cor^

ner

Class IV. STREAKED GURNARD. a$i

ner of each are two (mail fpines. But what at once diftinguiflies this from the other fpecies is the breadth and colors of the pectoral .fins, which are very broad and long, of a pale green, mod beau- tifully edged, and fpotted with rich deep blue.

The dorfal fins are lodged between two rows of fpines, of a ferrated form: the back is of a greenifh call: : the fide line is rough : the fides are tinged with red ; the belly white.

Thefe fifh are found on the coaft of Cornwall. We have alfo taken them off Anglefea.

ED,

Cuculus lineatusi the Streaked Gurnard. Raiifyn.pifc. 165. I4I-^T^EAK* fg. 11.

THIS is one of the Gornifu fifh communicated to Mr. Petvver by Mr. J ago. He fays the head is large, and diftinguifhed with ftellated marks; the eyes great •, the covering of the gills thorny \ the mouth fmall, and without teeth. By* the figure the nofe feems not to be bifurcated. The perioral fins large, and fpotted, beneath them three filaments; the color of the body red: the bel- ly white* marked with many ftreaks, pointing downwards, from the back.

Mr. J ago imagines it to be the Mullis hnb tr- ite of Rondektius. Wil. Icth. 27S.

Sect*

2 H

LOCHE,

Class IV.

Sect. IV. ABDOMINAL,

XXXII. L O C H E.

Eyes in the upper part of the head. Aperture to the gills clofed below. Several beards on the end of the upper jaw Body of almoft an equal thicknefs. One dorfal fin.

142. Beard- La Loche franche. Bclon, 321. Cobitis tota glabra maculofa,

corpore fubtereti. Arted. fyhon. 2,

E»,

Cobitis barbatula. Rondel, fiwviat, 204

Cobitis fluviatilis barbatula. Cobitis Barbatula. C. cirri

Gejher pifc. 404. Smerling, Smerle. Schone-

<vclde, 31. -Loche, or Groundling. WiU

Icth. 265. Rail Jyn\ pifc.

124.

fex capite inermi compreffo.

Lin. fyjl. 499. Gronov.

Zooph. No. 202. ■ Gronling. Faun. Suec. No. 341 . Grundel. Kram. 396. Wulff*

Borufs. No. 40.

THE loche is found in feveral of our fmall rivers, keeping at the bottom on the gra- vel, and is on that account, in fome places, called the Groundling : it is frequent on the ftream near dme/bury, in Wiltjhire^ where the fportfmen, through frolick, fwallow it down alive in a glafs of white wine.

The largeft we ever heard of was four inches and three quarters in length, but they feldom arrive

to that fize.

The

ts

-r^

Class IV. L G C H E. *83

The mouth is fmall, placed beneath, and has no teeth : on the upper mandible are fix fmall beards, one at each Corner of the mouth, and four at the end of the nofe.

The dorfal fin confifts of eight rays ; the pec- toral of eleven ; the ventral of feven ; the anal of fix : the tail is broad, and has fixteen or feventeen rays.

The body is fmooth and flippery, and almoft of Colo*. the fame thicknefs : the color of the head, back, and fides, is in fome white, in others of a dirty yellow, very elegantly marked with large fpots, confiding of numberlefs minute black fpecks : the pectoral, dorfal, and caudal fins are alfo fpotted : the belly and ventral fins of a pure white : the tail broad, and a little rounded.

Branchi-

fc84

SALMON. Class IV:

XXXIII. Branchioftegous rays unequal in number. SALMON. tw0 dorfal fins; the fecond thick, and without rays.

* With teeth.

14.3. Salmon* Salmo Plinii Lib. IX. c, 18.

Aufonias Mo/el. 97. Salmone. Salvian. 100. Le Saulmon. Belon, 271. Salmo. Rondel, flwviat. 167.

Gefner pifc. 824. Sebone-

velde, 64. Salmon. Wit. lab. 189. Rati

fyn.fifc.6i.

Salmo roftro ultra inferio-

rem maxillam faepe pro-

minente. Arted. fynon. 22.

Salmo Salar. Lin. fyji. 509. Gronov. 'Zooph. No. 369.

Lax. Faun. Suec. No. 122.

Lachfs. Wulff. Boru/s. No. 42.

THE falmon is a northern fifti, being un- known in the Mediterranean fea, and o- ther warm climates: it is found in France in fome of the rivers that empty themfelves into the ocean *, and north as far as Greenland-, they are alfo very common in Newfoundland, and the northern parts of North America. Salmons are taken in the rivers of Kamtfchatkaf, but whether they are of the

* Rondel, flwviat. 167. f Hiji. Kamt/ch. 143.

fame

Class IV. SALMON. 285

fame fpecies with the European kind is not very certain.

They are in feveral countries a great article of commerce, being cured different ways, by faking, pickling, and drying : there are ftationary fiiheries in Iceland^ Norway *, and the Baltic, but we be- lieve no where greater than thofe at Colraine in Ireland > and in Great Britain at Berwick^ and in fpme of the rivers of Scotland.

The falmon was known to the Romans, but not to the Greeks t: Pliny fpeaks of it as a fifh found in the rivers of Aquitaine : Aufonius enumerates it ar mong thofe of the Mo/el.

Nee te puniceo rutilantem <vifcere Salmo Franjierem, lata cujus <vaga <verbera caudte Gurgite de medio fummas referuntur in undas, Occultus placido cum proditur aquore pulfus, Tu loricato fquamofus peclore, front em Lubricus, et dubia faclurus fercula canee, Tempord longarum /err incorrupt a morarum, Pr&Jignis maculis capitis f cui prodiga nutal Al<vusf opimatoque fluens abdomine water.

Nor I thy fcarlet belly will omit, O Salmon, whofe broad tail with whifking flrokes Bears thee up from the bottom of the ftream Quick to the iurface ; and the fecret lafh Below, betrays thee in the placid deep. Arm'd in thy flaky mail, thy glofly fnout

* There was, about the year 1578, a pretty confiderable falmon fifhery at Cola9 in Ruffian Laplan4* Hackluyt. <voy* I. 4i&

Slippery

286 S A L M O N. Class IV.

Slippery efcapes the rimer's fingers ; elfe Thou raakefl a fealt for niceil judging palates : And yet long uncorrupted thou remained : With fpotted head remarked, and wavy fpread, Of paunch immenfe o'erftovving wide with fat.

Anonymous,

Ascends

The falmon is a fifh that lives both in the fait Rivers. anc| fefa Waters, quitting the fea at certain feafons for the fake of depofiting its fpawn in fecurity, in the gravelly beds of rivers remote from their mouths. There are fcarce any difficulties but what they •will overcome, in order to arrive at places fit for their purpofe : they will afcend rivers hundreds of ^ miles, force themfelves againft the mod rapid ftreams, and fpring with amazing agility over ca- taracts of feveral feet in height. Salmon are fre- quently taken in the Rhine as high up as Bafil\ Salmon they gain the fources of the Lapland rivers* in fpite of their torrent-like currents, and furpafs the perpendicular falls of Leixfiipf> Kennerth^, and Pont aberglafiyn%\ thefe lait feats we have been witnefs to, and feen the efforts of fcores of rifh, fome of which fucceeded, others mifcarried during the time of our (lay.

* Scheff. Lap. 139. f Near Dublin.

\ On the Ti<vy in South Wales y which Michael Drayton cele- brates in his Polyolbion on this account.

§ Amidft Snowdon hills, a wildfcene in the ftyle of Sahator Rofa.

It

Class IV.

SALMON.

287

thcfklt

: fofl

It may here be proper to contradict the vulgar error of their taking their tail in their mouth when they attempt to leap •, fuch as we faw, fprung up quite ftraight, and with a ftrong tremulous motion. Other particulars relating to the natural hiftory of this fifh, we fhall relate in our accounts of the fifheries, either from our own obfervations, or from fuch as have been communicated to us from dif- ferent places : the fulleft we have been favoured with, is from the late Mr. Potts, of Berwick, to whom the public is indebted for the following very curious hiftory of the falmon fifhery on the Tweed.

At the latter end of the year, or in the month of Spawning*

November, the falmon begin to prefs up the rivers

is far as they can reach, in order to fpawn ; when

at time approaches they fearch for a place fie

m the purpofe: the male and female unite in form-

g a proper receptacle for it in the fand or gravel,

bout the depth of eighteen inches -, in this the fe-

ale depofits her fpawn, the male his milt, which

ey cover carefully, as it is faid, with their tails,

I after fpawning they are obferved to have no fkin

that part.

The fpawn lies buried till fpring, if not dif- arbed by violent floods-, but the falmon haften ) fea as foon as they are able, to purify and cleanfe lemfelves, and to recover their ftrength ; for af- :r fpawning they become very poor and lean, ancj ien are called Kipper.

When the falmon fir ft enter the frefh water, they

are •

286

Ascends

Rivers.

OALMON

Leaps.

SALMON.

CLAS!

Slippery efcapes the timer's fingers ; elfe Thou raakeft a feair. for niceit judging palates : And yet long uncorrupted thou remainefl : With fpotted head remarked, and wavy fpread, Of paunch immenfe o'erflowing wide with fat.

Anonyi

The falmon is a fifh that lives both in the and frefh waters, quitting the fea at certain fe for the fake of depofiting its fpawn in fecurity, i gravelly beds of rivers remote from their mo There are fcarce any difficulties but what •will overcome, in order to arrive at places f their purpofe : they will afcend rivers hundrec miles, force themfelves againft the mod : ftreams, and ipring with amazing agility ovt taradls of feveral feet in height. Salmon are quently taken in the Rhine as high up as 1 they gain the fources of the Lapland rivers fpite of their torrent-like currents, and furpaf perpendicular falls of Leixjlipf> Kennerth^, Pont aberglaftyn § •, thefe lait feats we have witnefs to, and feen the efforts of fcores of fifh, : of which fucceeded, others mifcarried during time of our (lay.

* Scheff. Lap. 139. f Near Dublin.

X On the Ti<vy in South Wales , which Michael Drayton brates in his Polyolbion on this account.

§ Amidft Snowdon hills, a wildfcene in the ftyle of Sat Rofa*

us*

alt )ns :he hs. iey br

of bid

a- re-

\h in

the nd en

rne he

ie-

itor

It

Class IV. S A L M O N. 287

Ic may here be proper to contradict the vulvar error of their taking their tail in their mouth when they attempt to leap -5 fuch as we faw, fprung up quite ftraight, and with a drong tremulous motion.

Other particulars relating to the natural hidory of this fifh, we fhall relate in our accounts of the fifheries, either from our own obfervations, or from fuch as have been communicated to us from dif- nt places : the fulled we have been favoured with, is from the late Mr. Potts, of Berwick, to whom the public is indebted for the following very curious hidory of the falmon fifhery on the Tweed.

At the latter end of the year, or in the month of Spawning* November, the falmon begin to prefs up the rivers as far as they can reach, in order to fpawn ; when *hat time approaches they fearch for a place fin for the purpofe: the male and female unite in form- ing a proper receptacle for it in the fand or gravel, about the depth of eighteen inches ; in this the fe- male depofits her fpawn, the male his milt, which they cover carefully, as it is faid, with their tails, for after fpawning they are obferved to have no fkin on that part.

The fpawn lies buried till fpring, if not dif- turbed by violent floods •, but the falmon haden to lea as foon as they are able, to purify andcleanfe themfelves, a:id to recover their ftrerigth •, for af- ter fpawning they become very poor and lean, anj then are called Kipper.

When the falmon firft enter the frelh water, they

are *

«8S

SALMON. Class IV.

are obferved to have abundance of infefts adherj inc to them, efpecially above the gills : tnefe are the Lenue* Salmons of Linntus, and are figns that the filh are in high feafon- Thefe animals die and| drop off, foon after the falmon have left the fea. ' About the latter end of March the fpawn begins; to exclude the young, which gradually increafe t<£ the length of four or five inches, and are then term. cA Smelts oxSumts: about the beginning of May. the river is full of them •, it feems to be all ahvel there is no having an idea of the numbers without feeing them; but a feafonable flood then burn* thenTall to the fea, fcare any or very few bem| left in the river.

About the middle of June the earlieft of the frj

begin to drop, as it were, into the river agai»

from the fea, at that time about twelve, fourteen;

or fwteen inches, and by a gradual progrefs, in».

creafe in number and flze till about the end of

July, which is at Berwick termed the height of

Gilfeums, the name given to the filh at that age;

the end of July*, or beginning of Augufi they lef-

fen in number, but increafe in fize, fome being fix,

feven, eight, or nine pounds in weight-, this ap-

Qyict pears to be a furprifing quick growth, yet we have

Growth. received from a gentleman at Warrington, an in*

fiance ftill more fo: a kipper falmon weighing n%

three quarters, taken on the 7th of February, I

ing marked with a fciffars, on the back, fin,

and tail, and turned into the river, was 3g»'»

taker

Class IV. SALMON. 289

taken on the 17th of March following, and then was found to weigh 171b. and a half.

All fifhermen agree, that they never find any food food in the ftomach of this fifh. It is likely they may uncertain, neglect their food entirely during the time of fpawn- ing, as fea lions and fea bears are known to do for months together during their breeding feafon : and it may be obferved, that like thofe animals, the falmons return to the fea lank and lean, and come from the fait water in good condition. It is evident that at times their food is both fifh and worms, for the angler ufes both with good fuccefs ; as well as a large, gaudy, artificial fly, which pro- bably the fifh miftakes for a gay libellula or dragon fly.

The Capture in the Tweed, about the month of Capture* July, is prodigious ; in a good fifhery, often a boat load, and fometimes near two, are taken in a tide : fome few years ago there were above feven hun- dred fifh taken at one hawl, but from fifty to a hundred is very frequent : the coopers in Berwick then begin to fait both Salmon and Gilfes in pipes, and other large vefTels, and afterwards barrel* them to fend abroad, having then far more than the London markets can take off their hands.

Mod of the falmon taken before April, or to the fetting in of the warm weather, is fent frefh to Lon-

* The falmon barrel holds above forty-two gallons, wine meafure.

U . don

29*>

SALMON. Class IV.

don in balkets, nnlefs now and then the veffel is difappointed by contrary winds, of failing imme- diately, in that cafe the fiih is brought alhore again to the coopers offices, and boiled, pickled, and kitted, and fent to the London markets by the fame (hip, and frefh faknon put in the bafkets in lieu of the ftale ones. At the beginning of the fea-

P*jce. fon, when a fhip is on the point of failings a freih clean falmon will fell from a milling to eighteen pence a pound, and mod of the time that this part of the trade is carried on, the prices are from five to nine millings per ftone *, the value rifing and falling according to the plenty of fiih, or the pro- fpect of a fair or foul wind. Some fifh are fent in this manner to London the latter end of September? when the weather grows cool, but then the fifh are full of large roes> grow very thin bellied, and are not efleemed either palatable or wholefome.

The price of frefh fifh in the month of July^ when they are moft plentiful, has been known to be as low as 8 d. per ftone, but lad year never lefs than i6d. and from that to is. 6d.

Season. The feafon for fifhing in the Tweed begins No-

vember 30th, but the fiihermen work very little till after Cbriftmas-, it ends on Michaelmas-Day, yet the corporation of Berwick (who are confervators

* A ftone of falmon weighs 18 lb. 10 oz. and half, or in other terms, four Hones, or fifty-fix pounds avoirdupoife, is only three Hones, or forty-two pounds, fifh weight at Berwick

of

Class IV. SALMON. 29 "

of the river) indulge the fifhermen with a fortnight pad that time, on account of the change of the ftyle.

There are on the river forty-one confiderable fifheries extending upwards, about fourteen miles from the mouth (the others above being of no great value) which are rented for near 5400/. per annum. The expence attending the fervants wages, nets, boats, &c. amount to 5000/. more, which together makes up the fum 10400/. Now in con- fequence the produce muft defray all, and no lefs than twenty times that fum of fifh will efFecl: it, fo that 208000 falmon muft be caught there one year with another.

There is a misfortune attending the river Tweedy which is worthy a parlementary remedy -, for there is no law for preferving the fifh in it during the fence months, as there is in the cafe of many other Britifh rivers. This being the boundary be- tween the two kingdoms, part of it belongs to the city of Berwick, and the whole north fide (begin- ning about two miles from the town) is entirely Scotch property. From ibme difagreement between the parties they will not unite for the prefervation of the fifh, fo that in fome fifheries on the north fide they continue killing falmon the whole win- ter, when the death of one fifh is the definition of thoufands *.

* I think that this grievance is now removed,

Uz The

2$Z

SALMON. Class IV.

The legiflature began very early to pay attention to this important article: by the 13th Edward I. there is an ac"t which prohibits the capture of the falmon from the Nativity of our Lady to St. Martinis Day, in the waters of the Humber, Owfe, "Trent, Done, Arre> Derwent, Wharf e, Nid, Tore, Swale, and Tees-, and other monarchs in after- times, provided in like manner for the fecurity of the fidi in other rivers. Scotland. Scotland pofTeffes great numbers of fine fimeries on both fides of that kingdom. The Scotch in ear,ly times had mod fevere laws againft the killing of this fifh; for the third offence was made capital, by a law of James IV. Before that, the offender had power to redeem his life *. They were thought in the time of Henry VI. a prefent worthy of a crowned head, for in that reign the Queen of Scot- land (ent to the Dutchefs of Clarence, ten caflcs of fa! ted falmon; which Henry di reeled to pafs duty- free. The falmon are cured in the fame manner as at Berwick, and a great quantity is fent to Lon- don in the fpring ; but after that time the adven- turers begin to barrel and export them to foreign countries : but we believe that commerce is far lefs lucrative than it was in former times, partly owing to the great encreafe of the Newfoundland fifhery, and partly to the general relaxation of the disci- pline of abftinence in the Romijh church.

* Region Majejlatem* Stat. Rob. III. c. 7. SAene's A&$. James IV. Pari. VI.

Ireland

Class IV. SALMON. 293

Ireland (particularly the north) abounds with this Ireland* fifh: the mod confiderable fifhery is at Cramia, on the river Ban, about a mile and an half from Coleraine. When I made the tour of that hofpi- table kingdom in 1754, it was rented by a neigh- boring gentleman for 620/. a year, who allured me that the tenant, his predecefTor, gave 1600/. per ann. and was a much greater gainer by the bargain for the reafons before- mentioned, and on account of the number of poachers who deftroy the filh in the fence months.

The mouth of this river faces the north, and is finely ficuated to receive the fifh that roam along the coaft, in fearch of an inlet into fome frefh water, as they do all along that end of the kingdom which oppofes itfelf the northern ocean. We have feen near Ballkaftle, nets placed in the fea at the foot of the promontories that jut into it, which the fal- mon (hike into as they are wandering clofe to fhore, and numbers are taken by that method.

In the Ban they fifh with nets eighteen fcore yards long, and are continually drawing night and day the whole feafon, which we think lafts about four months, two fets of fixteen men each alter- nately relieving one another. The bed drawing is when the tide is coming in: we were told that at a (ingle draught there were once eight hundred and forty fifh taken.

A few miles higher up the river is a ware, where a confiderable number of fifh that efcape the nets

U 3 are

294 SALMON. Class IV.

are taken. We were lately informed, that in the year 1760 about 320 tons were taken in the Cr an- na fifhery.

The falmon are cured in this manner : they are firft fplit, and rubbed with fine fait ; and after ly- ing in pickle in great tubs, or refervoirs, for fix weeks, are packed up with layers of coarfe brown Spanifh fait in cafks, fix of which make a ton. Thefe are exported to Leghorn and Venice at the price of twelve or thirteen pounds per ton, but formerly from fixteen to twenty-four pounds each. Pcscrip. The falmon is a fifh fo generally known, that a

very brief defcription will ferve. The largeft we ever heard of weighed feventy four pounds. The color of the back and fides are grey, fometimes fpotted with black, fometimes plain : the covers of the gills are fubject to the fame variety : the belly filvery : the nofe fharp pointed : the end of jhe under jaw in the males often turns up in form of a hook ; fometimes this curvature is very confi- derable : it is faid that they lofe this hook when they return to the fea.

The teeth are lodged in the jaws and on the tongue, and are ilender, but very fharp.

The tail is a little forked.

The

Class IV. G R E Y. 295

The Grey, i. e. cinereous Salmo .eriox. Lig. fyft. 509. 144. Grev,

feu Grifeus. Wil. Icth. 193. Gralax. Faun. Suec. No. 346.

Raiifyn. pifc. 63. Lachfs-forelJen mit Schwartz- Salmo maculis cinereis, caudae grauen flecken oder punkt-

extremo sequali. Arted. fy~ chens. Wulff. Borufs. No.

non, 23. 43.

WE are uncertain whether this is not a meer variety of the falmon ; but on the autho- rity of Mr. Ray, we defcribe them feparate. He fays it is a very ftrong fifh, that it does not afcend the frefh waters till Anguft, when it rufhes up with great violence, that it is rarely taken, and noc much known.

The inhabitants of the North of England and of South Wales feem extremely well affured, that it is a diftincl: fpecies from the falmon. They ap- pear in the EJk in Cumberland from July to Sep- tember, and are then in fpavvn. The lower jaw ■ grows hooked, when they are out of feafon. I was informed they never exceeded thirteen pounds in weight*.

The head is larger in proportion than that of the falmon. In the jaws are four rows of teeth : and on the tongue are eight teeth. The back and fides, above the lateral line, of a deep grey, fpotted

* I met with a fifh (I fufpetted to be a Grey) taken in the fea near Conivay. It weighed twenty- two pounds,

U 4 with

z96 S E A T R O U T. Class IV.

with number of purplifh fpots. The belly filvery. The tail even at the end.

THIS we believe to be the Sewin, or Shewin of South Wales. The defcription above, was com- municated to us by Doctor Roberts of Hereford- Jhire,

145. Sea* Trutta taurina, apud nos in Arted. fynon. 24.

Nortbumbria a Bull-trout. Saimo trutta. S. ocellis ni-

Charlton ex. pifc. 36. gris, iridibus brunneis, pin-

Trutta Salmonata, the Sal- _ na peclorali punctis fex.

mon-trout, Bull-trout, or Lin.fyfi.^o^.Grono'v.Zoopb.

Scurf. Raii fyn. pifc. 63. No. 367.

Wil. lab. 193. Orlax, Boning. Faun. Suec.

Salmo latus, maculis rubris No. 347. Jiigrifque, cauda aequali.

THIS fpecies migrates like the falmon up feve- ral of our rivers ; fpawns, and returns to the fea. That, which I defcribe, was taken in the Tweed below Berwick^ June 1769.

The fhape was more thick than the common trout. The weight three pounds two ounces. The irides filvery : the head thick, fmooth, and duiky, with a glofs of blue and green : the back of the fame color, which grows fainter towards the fide line. The back is plain, but the fides as far as the lateral line marked with large, diftinct, irregu- larly ihaped fpots of black : the lateral line ftrait :

the

Class IV. TROUT.

the fides beneath the line, and the belly are white. Tail broad, and even at the end.

The dorfal fin had twelve rays: the pectoral four- teen : the ventral nine : the anal ten.

The flefh when bailed is of a pale red, but well flavored.

Mr. IVillughbfs account of the Salmon, Bull, or Scurf Trout obfcure. Whether the fame with this ?

297

Salar. Aufonius Mo/el. 88. Salar et varius, Trotta. Sal-

<vian. 96. La Truitte. Be/on, 274. Trutta fluviatilis. Rondel, flu-

wiat. \6g.Gefner pifc. 1002. Foren, Forellen. Scbcncvelde,

77-

A Tr&tit. Wil Ictb. 199. Rail

fyn.pifc.6z,. S. maculis rubris, maxilla inferiore longiore. Arted.

fymn 2 3 • Salmo Fario. Lin.Jyf. 509. Laxorrng, Forell, Stenbit.

Faun. Suec. No. 348.

46. Trout.

IT is matter of furprize that this common fifli has efcaped the notice of all the antients, ex- cept Aufonius : it is alfo Angular, that lb delicate a fpecies fhould be neglected at a time when the folly of the table was at its height ; and that the epicures mould overlook a fifh that is found in fuch quantities in the lakes of their neighborhood, when they ranfacked the univerfe for dainties. The milts of Mur<en<e were brought from one place;

the

V)Z T R O U T. Class IV.

the livers of Scari from another * ; and Oyfters even from fo remote a fpot as our Sandwich f : but there was, and is a falhion in the article of good living. The Romans feem to have defpifed the trout, the piper, and the doreej and we believe Mr. Quin himfelf would have refigned the rich paps of a pregnant fowj, the heels of camels §, and the tongues of Flamingos || , though drefTed by Heliogabalus's cooks, for a good jowl of falmon with lobfter lauce.

When Aufonius fpeaks of this fifh, he makes no euloge on its goodnefs, but celebrates it only for its beauty.

Purpureifque S a l a r jlellatus Tergore guttis. With purple fpots the Salar's back is ltained.

Thefe marks point out the fpecies he intended : what he meant by his Fario is not fo eafy to de- termine : whether any fpecies of trout, of a fize be- tween the falar and the falmon; or whether the falmon itfelf, at a certain age, is not very evident,

* Suetonius, vita Vitellii.

-j* Juvenal Sat. IV. 141.

% Martial, Lib. XIII. Epig. 44.

§ Lamprid. <vit. Heliogab.

|| Martial, Lib. XII. Epig. 7I0

Teque

Class IV. TROUT. 299

*Teque inter geminos /pedes, neutrumque et utrumque, Qui nee dum Salmo, nee Salar ambiguu/que. Atnbormn medio Fa rio inter cepte fub tevo.

Salmon or /alar, I'll pronounce thoe neither; A doubtful kind, that may be none, or either, Fario, when ftopt in middle growth.

In fact the colors of the trout, and its fpots, vary greatly in different waters, and in different fealbns ; yet each may be reduced to one fpecies. In Llyndivi, a lake in South Wales, are trouts called Coch y dail, marked with red and black fpots as big as fix-pences ; others unfpotted, and of a reddifh hue, that fometimes weigh near ten pounds, but are bad tailed.

In Lough Neagh in Ireland, are trouts called there Buddaghs, which I was told fometimes weigh- ed thirty pounds, but it was not my fortune to fee any during my (lay in the neighborhood of that vail water.

Trouts (probably of the fame fpecies) are alfo taken in Hulfe-water, a lake in Cumberland, of a much fuperior fize to thofe of Lough Neaglj. Thefe are fuppofed to be the fame with the trout of the lake of Geneva, a fifh I have eaten more than once, and think but a very indifferent one.

In the river Eynion, not far from Machyntleth, Crooked in Merioneth/hire, and in one of the Snowdon lakes, are found a variety of trout, which are naturally deformed, having a ftrange crookednefs near the

tail,

Trouts.

3°o

ROUT. Class IV.

tail, refembling that of the perch before defcribecL We dwell the lefs on thefe monftrous productions, as our friend the Hon. Dairies Barrington, has al- ready given an account of them in an ingenious difTertation on fome of the Cambrian fifh, publifhed in the Philofophical Tranj "anions of the year 1767. Gillaroo The ftomachs of the common trouts are uncom- monly thick, and mufcular. They feed on the fhell-fifh of lakes and rivers, as well as on fmall £fh. They likewife take into their ftomachs gravel, or fmall ftones, to affift in comminuting the teftace- ous parts of their food. The trouts of certain lakes in Ireland, fuch as thofe of the province of Galway, and fome others, are remarkable for the great thicknefs of their flomachs, which, from fome flight refemblance to the organs of digeftion in Name. birds, have been called gizzards : the Irijh name the fpecies that has them, Gillaroo trouts. Thefe ftomachs are fometimes ferved up to table, under the former appellation. It does not appear to me, that the extraordinary ftrength of ftomach in the Irijh fifh, mould give any fufpicion, that it is a diftincl fpecies : the nature of the waters might in- creafe the thicknefs; or the fuperior quantity of fhell-fifh, which may more frequently call for the life of its comminuting powers than thofe of our trouts, might occafion this difference. I had op- portunity of comparing the ftomach of a great

* Hihfiph. Tranfafi. Vol. LXIV. p. 116. 310.

Gillaroo

Class IV. TROUT. 301

Gillaroo trout, with a large one from the Uxbridge river. The lad, if I recollect, was fmaller, and out of feafon ; and its ftomach (notwithstanding it was very thick) was much inferior in flrength to that of the former : but on the whole, there was not the left fpecific difference between the two fubje&s.

Trouts are moll voracious fifh, and afford ex- cellent diverfion to the angler : the paffion for the fport of angling is fo great in the neighborhood of London, that the liberty of fifhing in fome of the dreams in the adjacent counties, is purchafed at the rate of ten pounds per annum.

Thefe fifti fhift their quarters to fpawn, and, like falmon, make up towards the heads of rivers to depofit their roes. The under jaw of the trout is fubjed, at certain times, to the fame curvature as that of the falmon.

A trout taken in Llynallet, in Denbigh/hire, Descrsp. which is famous for an excellent kind, meafured feventeen inches, its depth three and three quarters, its weight one pound ten ounces : the head thick -, the nofe rather (harp : the upper jaw a little longer than the- lower \ both jaws, as well as the head, were of a pale brown, blotched with black : the teeth (harp and ftrong, difpofed in the jaws, roof of the mouth and tongue, as is the cafe with the whole genus, except the Gwyniad, which is tooth- lefs, and the Grayling, which has none on its

tongue.

The

302

WHITE. Class IV.

The back was dufky ; the fides tinged with a purplifh bloom, marked with deep purple fpots, mixed with black, above and below the fide line which was ftrait : the belly white.

The firfh dorfal fin was fpotted ; the fpurious fin brown, tipped with red ; the pectoral, ventral, and anal fins, of a pale brown; the edges of the anal fin white : the tail very little forked when extend- ed.

147. White. fT^HIS fpecies migrates out of the fea into the A river Ejk in Cumberland from July to Sep- tember^ and is called from its color the Whiting. When dreffed, their flefh is red, and mod delicious eating. They have, on their firft appearance from the fait water, the lernaa falmonea, or falmon loufe, adhering to them. They have both melt and fpawn ; but no fry has as yet been obferved. This is the fifli called by the Scots, Phinocs.

They never exceed a foot in length. The up- per jaw is a little longer than the lower: in the firft are two rows of teeth ; in the laft, one : on the tongue are fix teeth.

The back is ftrait : the whole body of an ele- gant form : the lateral line is ftrait ; color, be- tween that and the top of the back, duiky and filvery intermixed ; beneath the line cf an exqui-

fite

Class IV. SAMLET. s°3

fite filvefy whitenefs : firft dorfal fin fpotted with black : tail black, and much forked.

The firft dorfal fin has eleven rays ; pectoral* thirteen ; ventral, nine ; anal, nine.

LET,

LeTacon? Belon. 275. gerin Eboracetifibus. Rait H8* Sam°

Salmulus, Herefordia Samlet Jyn. pifc. 63.

di&us. Wil. Ictb. 192. Salmoneta, a Branlin. Ray's

Salmulus, the Samlet Here- Letters, 199. fordienjibusy Branlin et Fin-

THE famlet is the left of the trout kind, is frequent in the Wye, in the upper part of the Severn, and the rivers that run into it, in the north of England, and in Wales, It is by feveral ima- gined to be the fry of the falmon; but our reafons for diffenting from that opinion are thefe :

Firft, It is well known that the falmon fry ne- ver continue in frelh water the whole year -, but as numerous as they appear on their firft efcape from the fpawn, all vanifh on the firft vernal flood that happens, which fweeps them into the fea, and leaves fcarce one behind.

Secondly, The growth of the falmon fry is fo

quick and fo confiderable, as fuddenly to exceed

the bulk of the largeft famlet : for example, the

fry that have quitted the frefh water in the fpringr

not larger than gudgeons, return into it again a

foot or more in length.

Thirdly,

3°4

S A M L E T. Class IV.

Thirdly, The falmon attain a confiderable bulk before they begin to breed : the famlets, on the contrary, are found male and female*, (diftinguifh- ed by the milt and roe) of their common fize.

Fourthly, They are found in the frefh waters in all times of the year, and even at feafons when the falmon fry have gained a confiderable fize. It is well known, that near Shrewjbury (where the are called Samfons) they are found in fuch quanti- ties in the month of September, that a fkilful angler, in a coracle, will take with a fly from twelve to fixteen dozen in a day.

They fpawn in November and December, at which time thofe of the Severn pufh up towards the head of that fair river, quitting the lefTer brooks, and re- turn into them again when they have done.

They have a general refemblance to the trout, therefore muft be defcribed comparatively.

Firft, The head is proportionably narrower, ancl the mouth lefs than that of the trout.

Secondly, Their body is deeper.

Thirdly, They feldom exceed fix or feven in- ches in length : at moil, eight and a half.

Fourthly, The pectoral fins have generally but one large black fpot, though fometimes a fingle fmall one attends it ; whereas the pectoral fins of the trout are more numeroufly marked.

Fifthly, The fpurious or fat fin on the back is

* It has been vulgarly imagined, that there were no other than males of this fpecies.

never

^

"S

cd

^ *-*>

Class IV. C H A R R.

never tipped with red -, nor is the edge of the anal fin white.

Sixthly, The fpots on the body are fewer, and not fo bright.

It is alfo marked from the back to the fides with fix or feven large bluifh bars; but this is not a certain character, as the fame is fometimes found in young trouts.

Seventhly, The tail of 'the famlet is much more forked than that of the trout.

Thefe fifli are very frequent in the rivers of Scot- land, where they are called Pars. They are alfo common in the Wye, where they are known by the name of Skirtings, or Lafprings.

305

L'Omble, ou Humble. Belou,

281. Umbla feu Humble Belonii

Gefner pifc. 1005. Umbla minor. Gefner pifc.

[013.

Salmovix pedalis, pinnis ven- *49* Charr. tralibus rubris, maxilla in- fericre longiore. Afted.fyn.

2K,

Salmo alpinus. Lin.fyfi. 510. Groncv. Zoopb. No. 372.

Torgoch Wallis. Weftmor- Roding, Lapponibus Raud,

landis Red Charre Lacus Faun. Suec. No. 124.

Winander mere. Wil. Icth. Charr-fifh. Phil. Tranf 1755.

196. Raiifyn. pifc. 65. 210.

>TpHE charr is an inhabitant of the lakes of

•*■ the north, and of thofe of the mountanous

parts of Europe. It affects clear and pure waters,

and is very rarely known to wander into running

Vol, III. X ftreams,

3°6 C H A R R. Class IV.

ftreams, except into fuch whofe bottom is fimilar to the neighboring lake.

It is found in vaft abundance in the cold lakes on the fummits of the Lapland Alps, and is almoft the only fifh that is met with in any plenty in thofe regions ; where it would be wonderful how they fubfifted, had not Providence fupplied thenr with innumerable larva of the Gnat kind*: thefe are food to the Mm, who in their turn are a fup- port to the migratory Laplanders in their fummer voyages to the diftant lakes.

In fuch excurfions thofe vacant people find a luxurious and ready repaft in thefe fim, which they drefs and eat without the addition f of fauces; for exercife and temperance render ufelefs the in- ventions of epicurifm.

* A pupil of Linnaeus remarks in the fourth volume of the Aman. Acad. p. 156, that the fame infers which are fuch a pell to the rein deer, afford fuftenance to the fifh of the valt lakes and rivers of Lapland. But at the fame time that we wonder at Ltnn<eus's inattention to the food of the birds and nih of that country, which abound even to a noxious degree, we muft, in juftice to that Gentleman, acknowledge an over- fight of our own in the fecond volume of the Britijh Zoology >, p. 522, edition the fecond, where we give the Lapland waters only one fpecies of water plant ; for on a more careful review of that elaborate performance, the Flora Lappomca, we dis- cover three other fpecies, viz. Scirfus, No. 18, Alopecurus, No. 38, Ranunculus, No. 234; but thofe fo thinly fcattered over the Lapland lakes, as ftill to vindicate our affertion, as to the fcarcenefs of plants in the waters of alpine countries.

f Arted. Sp. fife, 52.

There

Class IV. C H A R R. 3°7

There are but few lakes in our ifland that pro- duce this fifh, and even thofe not in any abundance. It is found in Winander Mere in Wejlmorland -, in Llyn Quellyn, near the foot of Snowdon ; and be- fore the difcovery of the copper-mines, in thofe of Llynberris, but the mineral ftreams have entirely deftroyed the fifli in the laft lakes *. Whether the waters in Ireland afford the charr, we are uncertain, but imagine not, except it has been overlooked by their writers on the natural hiftory of that kingdom. In Scotland it is found in Loch Inch, and other neighboring lakes, and is faid to go into the Spey to fpawn.

The largeft and mod beautiful we ever received were taken in Winander Mere, and were commu- nicated to us by the Rev. Mr. Farrijh of Carlijle, with an account of their natural hiftory. He favored me with five fpecimens, two under the name of the Cafe Charr, male and female ; another he called the Gelt Charr, i. e. a charr which had not fpawned the preceding leafon, and on that ac- count is reckoned to be in the greateft perfection. The two others were infcribed, the Red Charr, the Silver or Gilt Charr, the Carpio Lacus Benaci, Raii Jyn. pifc. 66, which laft are in Wefimorland diftingu idied by the epithet red, by reafon of the flefh affuming a higher color than the other when drefied.

They are alfo found in certain lakes in Mgrionetbjbire,

X 2 On

3o$ C H A R R. Class IV.

Varieties. On the clofeft examination, we could not dis- cover any fpecific differences in thefe fpecimens, therefore mud defcribe them as the fame fifh, fub- ject only to a flight variation in their form, here- after to be noted. But there is in another refpect an eflential difference, we mean in their ceconomy, which is in all beings invariable -, the particulars we fhall deliver in the very words of our obliging informant.

df the case The Umbla minor, or cafe charr, fpawns about charr. Michaelmas, and chiefly in the river Brathy, which uniting with another called the Rowthay, about a quarter of a mile above the lake, they both fall into it together. The Brathy has a black rocky bottom j the bottom of the Rowthay is a bright fand, and into this the charr are never obferved' to enter. Some of them however fpawn in the lake, but always in fuch parts of it which are ftony, and refemble the channel of the Bralhy. They are fup- pofed to be in the higheft perfection about May, and continue fo all the fummer, yet are rarely caught after April. When they are fpawning in the river they will take a bait, but at no other time, being commonly taken, as well as the other fpecies, in what they call hreafi nets, which are in length about twenty-four fathoms, and about five, where broaden:. Gilt The feafon which the other fpecies fpawns in is

from the beginning of January to the end of March. They are never known to afcend the

rivers,

Class IV. C H A R R. 309

rivers, but always in thofe parts of the lake which are fpringy, where the bottom is fmooth and fandy, and the water warmed. The fimermen judge of this warmth, by obferving that the water feldom freezes in the places where they fpawn, except in intenfe frofts, and then the ice is thinner than in other parts of the lake. They are taken in great- eft plenty from the end of September to the end of November : at other times they are hardly to be met with. This fpecies is much more efteemed for the table than the other, and is very delicate when potted.

We mud obferve, that this account of the fpawn- ing feafon of the Wefimorland charrs, agrees very nearly with that of thofe of Wales, the lad appear- ing about a month later, keep moving from fide to fide of the pool, and then retire into the deep water, where they are fometimes but rarely taken. This remarkable circumftanee of the different feafon of fpawning in fifh, apparently the fame (for the red charr of IVinander, is certainly not the Carpio Lacus Benaci) puzzles us greatly, and makes us wifh that the curious, who border on that lake, would pay farther attention to the na- tural hiftory of thefe fifh, and favor us with fome further lights on the fubject..

We {hall now defcribe the varieties bv the names afcribed to them in the north.

The length of the red charr to the divifion in its Rei> Char.?., tail, was twelve inches •, its biggeft circumference X 3 almofi:

3io C H A R R. Class IV.

almoft feven. The firft dorfal fin five inches and three quarters from the tip of its nofe, and confift- ed of twelve branched rays : the firft of which was fhort, the fifth the longed: : the fat fin was very fmall.

Each of the five fifh had double noftrils, and fmall teeth in the jaws, roof of the mouth, and on the tongue.

The head, back, dorfal fin, and tail of each, was of a dufky blue ; the fides rather paler, mark- ed with numbers of bright red fpots : the bellies of the Red Cbarr were of a full and rich red ; thofe of the Cafe Cbarr rather paler; from this par- ticular the Wekb call thefe fifh Torgocb, or red

belly.

The firft rays of the anal and ventral fins of each,

were of a pure white; the reft of each fin on the

lower part of the body, tinged with red.

The lateral line (I rait, dividing the fifh in two equal parts, or nearly fo.

The jaws of the Cafe Cbarr are perfectly even ; on the contrary, thole the Red Cbarr were unequal, the upper jaw being the broadeft, and the teeth hung over the lower, as might be perceived on, parTing the finger over them.

The branchioftegons rays were, on different fides

of the fame fifh, unequal in number, viz. 12,-11,

11,-10, 10-9, except in one, where they were

ji,--u.

Gelt f he Gelt, or Barren Cbarr, was rather more

****** flender

H

3

Class IV.

GRAYLING.

flender than the others, as being without fpawn. The back of a gloffy duiky blue: the fides filvery, mixed with blue, fpotted with pale red : the fides of the belly were of a pale red, the bottom white.

The tails of each bifurcated.

The charrs we have feen, brought from Snow- don lakes, were rather fmaller than thofe of Weft- morland, their colors paler. The fuppofed males very much refemble the Gelt Charr\ but that is not a] certain diftinftion of fex, for the Rev. Mr. Farrington *, has told me that the rimer men do not make that diftinction.

311

®u{AaX\o$ ^Elian. de an. lib.

xiv. C. 2 2.

Umbra Aufonii Mofella. 90. Thymalus, Thymus. Sal-uian.

81. Belon> 276. Thymus, Umbra fluviatilis. Rondel, fiwv. 187, 172. Gef- * ner pifc. 132. A Grayling, or Umber. Wil.

Icth. 187. Rail fyn. pifc. 62. Coregonus maxilla fu- periore longiore, pinna dor- fiofficulorum viginti trium. Arted. fynon. 20. Salmo Thymallus. Lin. fyjl. 512. Gronwv. 'Zjooph. No. 375. Afch. Kram. 390.

150. Gr

I N 1

THE grayling haunts clear and rapid dreams, and particularly fuch that flow through mountanous countries. It is found in the rivers of Derby/hire \ in fome of thofe of the north ; in

* Who favored the Royal Society with a paper on the Welch charr. Vide Phil, Tranf. 1755.

X

the

3i2 GRAYLING. Class IV.

the Tame near Ludlow, in the Lug, and other dreams near Leominfter; and in the river near Chriftchurch, Hampjhire. It is alfo very common in Lapland-, the inhabitants make ufe of the guts of this fifh inftead of rennet, to make the cheefe which they get from the milk of the rein deer*.

It is a voracious fifh, rifes freely to the fly, and will very eagerly take a bait. It is a very fwift fwimmer, and difappears like the- tranfient paffage of a fhadow, from whence we believe is derived the name of Umbra.

Effugienfque oculos cehri levis Umbra natatu f . The Umbra fwift efcapes the quickeft eye.

Thymalus and Thymus, are names bellowed on it on account of the imaginary fcent, compared by fome to that of thyme ; but we never could per- ceive any particular fmell. Descrip. It is a fifh of an elegant form; lefs deep than that of a trout : the largefl we ever heard of was taken near Ludlow, which was above half a yard long, and weighed four pounds fix ounces, but this was a very rare inftance.

The irides are filvery, tinged with yellow: the teeth very minute, feated in the jaws and the roof of the mouth, but none on the tongue : the head is dufky : the covers of the gills of a gloffy green :

* Flora Lap. 109. Aman Acad, IV. 159. •{• Aufonii Mofel. 90.

the

Class IV.

S M E L T

the back and fides of a fine filvery grey, but when the fifth is juft taken, varied (lightly with blue and gold : the fide-line is ftrait.

The fcales large, and the lower edges dufky, forming ftrait rows from head to tail.

The firft dorfal fin has twenty-one rays; the three or four firft are the fhorteft, the others almoft of equal lengths •, this fin is fpotted, all the others are plain.

The tail is much forked.

31,

Epelan demer. Belcn, 282. Eperlanus. Rondel. Jtwviat.

196. Gefner pifc. 362. Spirincus et Stincus. Gefner

Paralip. 29. A Spyrling a Sprote. Turner

epiji. ad. Gefn. Stindt, et Stinckfifch. Scho-

nevelde, 70- A Smelt, Wil. Icth. 202.

Rail fyn. pifc. 66. Ofmerus radiis pinnae ani fep-

tendecim. Arted. fynon. 21. Salmo eperlanus. S. capite

diaphano, radiis pinnae ani

feptendecim. Lin. fyfl. 511.

Grono'v. Zooph. No. Nors, Slom. Faun. fuec. No.

35°-

ici. Smelt,

THE fmelt inhabits the feas of the northern parts of Europe^ and we believe never is found as far fouth as the Mediterranean : the Seine is one of the French rivers which receive it, but whether it is found fouth of that, we have not at prefent authority to fay. If we Can depend on the obfervations of navigators, who generally have too much to think of to attend to the minutiae of na- tural hiftory, thefe fifli are taken in the ftraits of

Magellan^

3*4

S M E L T. Class IV.

Magellan*, and of a mod furprifing fize, fome meafuring twenty inches in length, and eight in cir- cumference.

They inhabit the feas that warn thefe iflands the whole year, and never go very remote from more, except when they afcend the rivers. It is remark- ed in certain rivers that they appear a long time before they fpawn, being taken in great abundance in Nov ember ) December, and January, in the Thames and Bee, but in others not till February, and in March and April they fpawn ; after which f they all return to the fair water, and are not feen in the rivers till the next feafon. It has been obferved, that they never come into .the Merfey as long as there is any ihow water in the river.

Thefe fifh vary greatly in lize, but the largeft we ever heard of was thirteen inches long, and weighed half a pound.

They have a very particular fcent, ,from whence is derived one of their Englijh names Smelt, i. e. fmell it. That of Sparling, which is ufed in Wales and the north of England, is taken from the French Eperlan. There is a wonderful difagreement in the opinion of people in refpecl to the fcent of this filh; fome alfert it flavors of the violet-, the Ger*

* Narborough's Voy* 123.

f In the river Conway, near Llanrivft, and in the Merfey they never continue above three or four weeks.

mans

Class IV. SMELT. $15

mans, for a very different reafon, diftinguifli it by the elegant title of Stinckfifch *.

Smelts are often fold in the ftreets of London fplit and dried. They are called dried Sparlings, and are recommended as a relifli to a glafs of wine in the morning.

It is a fifh of a very beautiful form and colour : the head is tranfparent, and the fkin in general fo thin, that with a good microfcope the blood may be obferved to circulate.

The irides are filvery : the pupil of a full black : Descrip, the under jaw is the longed : in the front of the upper jaw are four large teeth ; thofe in the fides of both are fmall; in the roof of the mouth are two rows of teeth ; on the tongue two others of large teeth.

The firft dorfal fin has eleven rays ; the pectoral fins the fame number ; the#ventral eight -9 the anal fourteen.

The fcales are fmall, and readily drop off: the tail confifts of nineteen rays, and is forked.

The color of the back is whitifh, with a caft of green, beneath which it is varied with blue, and then fucceeds a beautiful glofs of a filvery hue.

* And not without reafon, if we may .depend on Linnaus, who fays there are in the Baltic two varieties, the one, which is called Nors, fcetidijfimus, Jierccris inftar, which in the early fpring, when the peafants corne to buy it, fills all the ftreets of Vpfal with the fmell. He adds, that at this feafon agues reign there. Faun. fuec. /, 125,

Without

3i6 G W I N I A D. Class IV.

** Without Teeth.

152. Gwi- Le Lavaret. Belon, 278. 183. Rati fyn. pifc. 61.

niad. Lavaretus ; Pifcis Lemani la- Albula csrulea. Scbeucbzer it.

cus Bezola vulgo nuncupa- ^/^. H. 481.

tus. Alius Pifcis proprius Coregonus maxilla fuperiore

Lemani lacus. Rondel, flu- longiore plana, pinna dorfi

<viat. 162, 163, 164. Gef~ oificulorum 14. Arted.Jynon.

ner pifc. 29, 30, 31. 19.

Albula nobilis,Snepel, Helte? Salmo Lavaretus. Lin. fyfl.

Schonevelde, 12. 512.

Vandefius et Gevandeiius. Sib. Sijk, Stor-fijk. Faun. Suec,

Scot. 26. No.^ 352.

Guiniad Wallis pifcis lacus Gwiniad. Phil, Tranf. 1767,

Balenfls, Ferra (ut puto) 211.

idem. Wil Icth. 183. Rail Adeliifch, Gangfifch, Weifs-

Jyn. pifc. 61. fifch, Weifler Blauling,

Lavaretus Allobrogum, Schel- Schnapel. Wuljf Borufs. 37.

ley Cumbcrlandis. Wil. Icth. Reinankl. Kram. 389.

THIS fifli is an inhabitant of feveral of the lakes of the Alpine parts of Europe. It is found in thofe of Switzerland, Savoy, and Italy ; of Norway, Sueden, Lapland*, and Scotland', in

* Schaffer, in his hifcory of Lapland, p. 140. fays, that thefe fifh are caught there of the weight of ten or twelve pounds. We wifh Linnaus had executed his intention of fa- voring the world with his Lacbefis Lapponica, in which he pro- mifed a complete hiftory of that country. I once reminded him of it, and it is with true regret, that I give his anfwer : Nunc nimis ferb inciperem,

Me quoque deb Hit at feries immenfa lab or urn,

Ante meum tempus cogor et effe fenem : Firmafit ilia licet folvetur in aquore na-vis, Qua nunquam l/quidis flee a care bit aquis.

thole

i

' /

Class IV. G W I N I A D.

thofe of Ireland, and of Cumberland; and in Wales, in that of Llyntegid, near Bala, in Merioneth/hire,

It is the fame with the Ferra of the lake of Ge- neva, the Schelly*, of Hulfe-water\ the Pollen of Lough Neagh, and the Vangis and Juvdngis of £<?<:£ Mabon. The Sf0/a& have a tradition that it was firft introduced there by the beauteous queen, their unhappy Mary Stuart-, and as in her time the Scotch court was much frenchified, it feems likely that the name was derived from the French, vendoifs, a dace ; to which a flight obferver might be tempt- ed to compare it from the whitenefs of its fcales. The Britijh name Gwiniad, or whitings was beftow- ed on it for the fame reafon. -

It is a gregarious fifh, and approaches the mores in vaft fnoals in fpring and in fummer, which prove in many places a blefied relief to the poor of inland countriesj in the fame degree as the an- nual return of the herring is to thofe who inhabit the coafts. The Rev. Mr. Farrijh, of Carlijle, wrote me word, that he was afTured by a Hulfe- water fifherman, that laft fummer he took between kvcn and eight thoufand at one draught. I muft not pafs by that gentleman without acknowledg- ing my obligations to him for an account of the Charrs and the Schelly -, he being one of the valuable embellifhers of this work, for whom 1 am indebted to the friendftiip of his late worthy prelate.

* The inhabitants of Cumberland give this name alfo to the chub, from its being a fcaly fiih.

The

3*7

318 G W I N I A D. Class I

The Gwiniad is a fifti of an infipid tafte, and mufl be eaten foon, for it will not keep long ; thofe that choofe to preferve them do it with fait. They die very foon after they are taken. Their fpawn- ing feafon in Llyntegid is in December.

It has long ago been obferved in Cambden*, that thefe fifh never wander into the Dee, nor the fal- 1 mon never ventures into the lake : this muft be allowed to be generally the cafe j but by accident the firft have been known to ftray as far as Lhn- drillo, fix miles down the river, and a falmon has now and then been found trefpafiing in the lakef.

The largeft Gwiniad we ever heard of weighed between three and four pounds : we have a Ferra we brought with us out of Switzerland, that is fifteen inches long ; but thefe are unco .imon fizes : the fifh which we defcribe was eleven inches long, its greateft depth three.

The head fmall, fmooth, and of a dufky hue: the eyes very large : the pupil of a deep blue : the nofe blunt at the end : the jaws of equal length : the mouth fmall and toothlefs : the bran- chioftegous rays nine : the covers of the gills fil- very, powdered with black.

The back is a little arched, and (lightly carinat- ed : the color, as far as the lateral line, glofTed with deep blue and purple, but towards the lines afiumes

* Vol II. 790.

t Hon, D, Barrington'j Letter to Dr. Watfon. Phil. Tranf. 1767.

a filvery

lass IV. G W I N I A D. 319

a filvery call, tinged with gold, beneath which thofe colors entirely prevale.

The fide line is quite ftrait, and confifls of a feries of diftinct fpots of a dufky hue : the belly is a little prominent, and quite flat on the bottom.

The firft dorfal fin is placed almoft in the mid- dle, and confifls of fourteen branched rays ; the fecond is thin, tranfparent, and not diflant from the tail.

The pectoral fins had eighteen rays, the firft the longeft, the others gradually fhortening •, the ven- tral fins were compofed of twelve, and the anal of fifteen, all branched at their ends ; the ventral fins in fome are of a fine fky blue, in others as if pow- dered with blue fpecks -y the ends of the other lower fins are tiwged with the fame color.

The tail is very much forked : the fcales large, and adhere clofe to the body.

Upper

320 PIKE. Class IV.

XXXIV. Upper jaw fhorter than the lower.

PIKE. Body long, {lender, compreffed Tideways.

One dorfal fin placed near the tail.

153. Pike. luc;us# Jufonii Mofella, 122. Pike, or Pickerel. Wil Icth*

Luccio. Salvian. 94. 236. Rait Jyn pifc. II 2.

Le Brochet. Belon, 292. Itin. Efox roftro plagioplateo. Art*

104. fynon. 26.

Lucius. Rondel, fluvial. 188. Efox Lucius Lin. fyfi. 516*

Gefner pifc. 50Q. Grozo'v Zccpb. No. 361.

Heket, Hecht. Scboneveldet Gjadda. Faun. Suec. No. 355.

44. Hecht. Kram. 388.

THE pike is common in mod of the lakes of Europe but the largefl are thofe taken in Lap- land, which, according to Sch<effer, are fometimes eight feet long. They are taken there in great abun- dance, dried, and exported for fale. The largefl fifh or this kind which we ever heard of in England^ weighed thirty-five pounds.

According to the common faying, thefe fifh were introduced into England in the reign of Henry VIII. in 1537. They were fo rare, that a pike was fold for double the price of a houfe-lamb in February, and. a pickerel for more than a fat capon. How far this may be depended on, I cannot fay, for this fifh is mentioned in the Boke of St. Albons, printed in the year 1496, and is not there fpoke of as a fcarce fifh* as was then the cafe with refpecl to the carp. Great numbers of this fifh were drefTed in the year 14.66, at the great feafl given by George Nevil, Arch- bimop of Tork.

All writers who treat of this fpecies bring in- flances of its vafl voracioufnefs. We have known one that was choaked by attempting to fwallow

one

Class IV. PIKE. 32 1

one of its own fpecies that proved too large a mor- fel. Yet its jaws are very loofely connected -, and have on each fide an additional bone like the jaw of a viper, which renders them capable of greater diftenfion when it fwallows its prey. It does not confine itfelf to feed on fifh and frogs •, it will devour the water rat, and draw down the young ducks as they are fwimming about. In a manu* fcript note which we found, p. 244, of our copy of Plott's Hiftory of Stafford/hire, is the following extraordinary fact : " At Lord Gower's canal ac " Trentbaw, a pike feized the head of a fwan as " fhe was feeding under water, and gorged fo " much of it as killed them both. The fervants " perceiving the fwan with its head under water " for a longer time than ufual, took the boat3 " and found both fwan and pike dead *."

But there are inftances of its fiercenefs Rill more furprizing, and which indeed border a little on the marvellous. Gefnerf relates, that a famifhed pike in the Rhone feized on the lips of a mule that was brought to water, and that the beaft drew the fi(h out before it could difengage itfelf. That people have been bit by thefe voracious creatures while they were wafhing their legs, and that they will

* This note we afterwards difcovered was wrote by Mr. Plott, of Oxford, who allured me he inferted it on good au^ thority.

f Gefner pifc. 503,

Vol. III. T even

322 PIKE. Class IV.

even contend with the otter for its prey, and endea- vour to force it out of its mouth *.

Small fifh fhew the fame uneafinefs and detefla- tion at the prefence of this tyrant, as the little birds do at the fight of the hawk or owl. When the pike lies dormant near the furface (as is fre- quently the cafe) the leffer fifh are often obferved to fwim around it in vaft numbers, and in great anxiety. Pike are often haltered in a noofe, and taken while they lie thus afleep, as they are often found in the ditches near the Thames in the month of May.

In the fhallow water of the LincolnJJoire fens they are frequently taken in a manner peculiar, we be- lieve, to that county, and the ifle of Ceylon -f\ The fifhermen make ufe of what is called a crown- net, which is no more than a hemifpherical bafker, open at top and bottom. He (lands at the end of one of the little fenboats, and frequently puts his bafket down to the bottom of the water, then poking a flick into it, difcovers whether he has any booty by the ftriking of the fifh ; and vaft numbers of pike are taken in this manner. Longevity. The longevity of this fifh is very remarkable, if we may credit the accounts given of it. Rzaczyn- Jki\ tells us of one that was ninety years old*,

* Walton* 157.

f Knox's Hi ft, Ceylon, 28.

\ Hi ft* Nat. Pclonia?, 152.

but

Class IV. PIKE. 323

but Gefner* relates, that in the year 1497, a P^e was taken near Hailbrun, in Suabia, with a brazen ring affixed to it, on which were thefe words in Greek characters : I am the fijh which was firft of all put into this lake by the hands of the governor of the univerfe,- Frederick the Second, the $th 0/ October, 1230 : fo that the former rnuft have been an infant to this Methufalem of a fifh.

Pikes fpavvn in March or April, according to the coldnefs or warmth of the weather. When they are in high leafon their colors are very fine, being green, fpotted with bright yellow ; and the gills are of a mod vivid and full red. When out of feafon, the green changes to grey, and the yel- low fpots turn pale.

The head is very flat ; the upper jaw broad, and Descrif, is fhorter than the lower: the under jaw turns up a little at the end, and is marked with minute punc~ tures.

The teeth are very fharp, difpofed only in the front of the upper jaw, but in both fides of the lower, in the roof of the mouth, and often the tongue. The flit of the mouth, or the gape, is very wide ; the eyes fmall.

The dorfal fin is placed very low on the back, and confifts of twenty-one rays •, the pectoral of fifteen \ the ventral of eleven j the anal of eighteen.

The tail is bifurcated.

* Jconts pifcium, 316, where a print of the ring is given.

Y 2 Bitivrf.

pH

GAR PIKE. Class IV,

35.4. Gar. BfiXow. Arijh Hi/?, an. II.

c. 15. &c. BeXo'w, Pa<pi$? Atbenaus lib.

VII. 319. Acus, five Belone P/r/wV Ztf.

IX. <r. 51. Acuchia. Safoian, 68. L'Aguille, ou Orphie. Belott,

161. Acus prima fpecies. Rondel.

227. Gefner fife. 9. Horn-fifck. Sebone<veldef 11. Horn-fifh,. or Gar-fiih. ^>7.

/rt£. 231. Raii fy?i, pifc*

109. Efox roftro cufpidato graciii

fubtereti, et fpithamali.

Arted. fynon. 27. Efox Belone. E. roftro utra-

que maxilla dentata. Lin.

fyji. 517. Grono-v. Zoopb.

No. 362. Nabbgjadda, Horngiall. Faun*

Suec. No. 156. See-naadel, Sack-nadel. Wulff

Borufs. No. 70.

THIS fifh which is found in many places, is known by the name of the Sea Needle. It comes in fhoals on our coafts in the beginning of fummer, and precedes the mackrel: it has a re- femblance to it in tafte, but the light green, which (tains the back bone of this fifti when boiled, gives many people a difguft to it. Descrip. The common fea pike, or fea needle, fometimes grows to the length of three feet, or more.

The jaws are very long, (lender, and fharp pointed ; the under extends much farther than the upper, and the edges of both are armed with numbers of fhort flender teeth : the infide of the mouth is purple : the tongue fmall : the eyes large : the irides filvery : the noftrils wide and round.

The body is (lender : the belly quite fiat, bounded on both fides by a rough line.

The

Class IV. SAURY PIKE, fij

The pectoral fins confift of fourteen rays ; the ventral fin fmall, and placed very remote from the head, confifts of fcven rays, the firft fpiny.

The dorfal fin lies on the very lowed part of the back, confifts of fixteen rays ; the firft are high, the others lower as they approach the tail; the anal fin is of the fame form, and placed oppofite to the other ; and has twenty-one rays. The tail is much forked.

The colors are extremely beautiful when the fifli is in the water : the back of a fine green, beneath that appears a rich changeable blue and purple : the fides and belly are of a fine filvery hue.

Saurus, RondeL pifc. 232. fyn. pifc. 169. 155. Saury,

Skipper, Cornubienfium. Rail The Saury. Tour Scotland 1769.

THE length is eleven inches : the nofe (lender : the jaws produced like thofe of the fea needle, but of equal length. The upper mandible a little incurvated. Their length one inch.

The eyes large; the body anguilliform : but towards the tail grows fuddenly fmaller, and tapers to a very inconfiderable girth. On the lower part of the back is a fmall fin, and between it and the tail fix fpurious like thofe of the mackrel. Cor- refpondent to thefe, below are the anal fin and fix fpurious. The pectoral and ventral fins very fmall : Y 3 the

326 SAURY PIKE. Class IV.

the tail much forked. The back dufky : the belly bright and filvery.

Great numbers of thefe fifh were thrown afhore on the fands of Leitb9 near Edinburgh, after a great ftorm in November 1768. Rondeletius de- icribes this fpecies among the fifh of the Mediter- ranean ; but fpeaks of it as a rare kind.

Teeth

XXV

JSr<?25t

ARGENTINE

ATHERINE

27? 15*].

Class IV. ARGENTINE. 327

Teeth in the laws and tongue. XXXV.

T7U.U ua ARGEN-

Eight branch loilegous rays. TINE.

Vent near the tail.

The ventral fins compofed of many rays.

Sphyraenaparva,u>efphyraena2 Argentina. Arted. fynon. 17. it6.Sheppy.

fecunda fpecies. Rondel, zzj. Argentina Sp by r ana. Lin.

Ge/ner pi/c.SS^} fyfi. 518. Gronov. Zooph.

Pifciculus Roma, Argentina No. 349 ?

diftuSc Wil. Icth. 229. Rail

fyn. pifc. 108 ?

A LITTLE fifh, which I believe to be of this fpecies, was brought to me in 1769, taken in the fea near Downing.

The length was two inches one-fourth: the eyes large; and irides filvery. The lower jaw doped much : the teeth fmall.

The body compreffed, and of an equal depth almoft to the anal fin. The tail forked.

The back was of a dufky green : the fides and covers of the gills as if plated with filver. The la- teral line was in the middle and quite flrait.

On each fide of the belly was a row of circular punctures : above them another, which ceafed near the vent.

Mr. Wtllughhy fays, that the outfide of the air bladder of this fifh confifts of a foliaceous filvery fkin, which was made ufe of in the manufacture of artificial pearl,

Y 4 The

&*

A T P E R I N E,

Class IV.

XXXVI.

ATHE- RINE,

The upper jaw a little flat.

Six branchioftegous rays.

A filvery ft ripe along the fidet

I57. Athe- Epfetus? Beton, 209.

P-ine, E^vjto^, Atherina. Rondel.

215, 216. Boffuet Epig. 66, 67. Ge/ner pi/c. 71,

Pifciculus Anguella Venetiis di&us ; forte Hepfetus Ron- deletii, vel Atherina ejuf-

209.

dem. Wil. Icth.

Raii fyn. pi/c. 79. Atherina. Arted. Jynon. App.

116. Atherina Hepfetus. A. pinna

ani radiis fere duodecim.

Lin. fyji. 5 1 9. Grono<u,

Zooph. No. 399.

THIS fpecies is very common in the fea near Southampton, where it is called a Smelt. [ The higheft feafon is from March to the latter end of May, or beginning of June; in which month it fpawns. It never deferts the place ^ and is con- ftantly taken except in hard froft. It is alfo found on other coafts of our ifland.

The length is above four inches one-fourth. The back ftrait: the belly a little protuberant. On the back are two fins. I neglected to count the rays. The tail is much forked.

The fifh is femipeiiucid, covered with fcales : the color filvery, tinged with yellow : the fide line ftrait ; beneath it is a row of fmall black fpots.

Body

''-.

Class IV, M U L L E T- 329

Body and covers of the gills clothed with large ™™L

fcales. Six incurvated branchioftegous rays. Teeth on the tongue and in the palate only.

Kspatos, Ksrosug. Arifi. Hift. Cephalus. Rondel. 260. Gefner 158. Mul-

an. lib. V. c. 11, &c. P'A 549- , LEI.

Tr , . rr 7 TTT Mullet, Wil. Ictb. 274. Rail

Kzrosu;. 0#«w £&&**/. III. jyn% pij-Ct g4.

98. Athenaus lib. VII. 306. Mugil# Amd% fynm% ^

Mugil 0<vid Halieut. 37. Pli- Mugil cephalus. M. pinna nil lib. IX. c. 8. 17. dorfali anteriore quinque

Cephalo. Salvian, 75. radiate. Lin. fyft. 520.

jLe Mulet. Be/on, 205. Gronov. Zoopb. No. 397.

npHE mullet is juftly ranked by Ariftotk ■ among the P if ess Littorales^ or thofe that prefer the fhores to the full fea : they are found in great plenty on feveral of the fandy coafts of our ifland, and haunt in particular thofe fmall bays that have influxes of frefh water. They come in great fhoals, and keep rooting like hogs in the fand or mud, leaving their traces in form of large round holes. They are very cunning, and when furrounded with a^net, the whole fhoal frequently efcap.es by leaping over it, for when one takes the lead, the others are fure to follow : this circum- flance is taken notice of by Ogpian\ whether the latter part of his obfervation is true, is what we are uncertain,

330 M U L L E T. Class IV.

Ket^ tv; [X£v Trtexlycriv h aymvmvi klvoio, Emo/iev©- dobov xti WEgiogofAov vyvolmEV. T"4>i y ava§ga<rxEi tehwiAEvc; udaro$ ajcgx, OgQc; aw (TTTEvduv ocrcrov ct9evo<; aX/xtzn xk(pa Of(Jt$<rai' (3sXns 3e <ra6$govo$ &k e/juztykts. Hotowu yap ptTTrjcri hou vrarca WEto-fActTa <pE\hiov Vy'ityu; uTTEgxXTO, kcu E%iiku£z pogoio. Ei 3s" oy o.vo$im\Qe\$ TXforw rohov, cumg 6hi<r§yi

E? @fOXov$ *K ^ EtSEVZO. @ta£ETCU, &£' UVOfiiEt,

Axvvpzvos' 'KEigYi Se (juxQuv a7ro7rccuETai ofjtw$.

The Mullet*, when encircling feines inclofe, The fatal threads and treach'rous bofom knows. Inftant he rallies all his vig'rous powers, And faithful aid of every nerve implores ; O'er battlements of cork up-darted flies, And finds from air th' efcape that fea denies. But mould the firft attempt his hopes deceive, And fatal fpace th' imprifon'd fall receive, Exhaufted ftrength. no fecond leap fupplies ; Self-doom 'd to death the proilrate viftim lies, Refign'd with painful expectation waits, 'Till thinner elements compleat his fates. Jones.

Of plan had good opportunity of examining thefe fifli, for they fwarm during fome feafons on the coafts of the Mediterranean. Near Martegues, in the fouth of France^ abundance of mullets are ta- ken in weres made of reeds placed in the (hallows. Of the milts of the males, which are there called

* Mr. Jones, by miftake, translates it the Barbel.

Alletants^

Class IV. M U L L E T. 331

Alktanhi and of the roes of the females, which are called Botar^ is made Botargo. The materials are taken out entire, covered with fait for four or five hours, then prerTed a little between two boards or flones, warned, and at laft dried in the fun for thirteen or fourteen days*.

This filh was fometimes made the inftrument of a horrible punifhment for unfortunate gallants. It was in ufe both at Athens f and at Rome-, but we doubt much whether it was a legal one: for we ra- ther fufpect it was inflicted inflantaneoufly by the injured and enraged hufband, at a feafon when

Furor arma miniftrat.

Juvenal feems to fpeak of it in that light as well as Horace : the former, relating the revenge taken by the exafperated fpoufe, defcribes it as very va- rious j

Necat hie f err o, fecat ilk cruentis Verb eri bus, quo/dam machos et Mugilis intrat J.

The paflage in Horace feems not to have been attended to by the critics ; but when he mentions

* Mr. Willugbhfs notes during his travels. Vide Harris's CoL Voy. II. 721.

f Legibus Athenienfium adulteri gj> %qy& deprehenfi ptena fuit eaqtavo^acrig. Raphani loco utebantnr nonntinquam tnugile pifce, interdum fcorpicne. Caufauboni animadvert, in Athenaeum, lib. I.

% Satyr. X. 316

the

53* M U L L E T. Class IV.

the diftrefies that the invader of another's bed un- derwent, he mod certainly alludes to this penalty :

DifcincJd tunica fugiendum eft, ac pede nudo ;

Ne nummi pereant, aut Pyga, aut denique fama**

The mullet is an excellent fifh for the table, but at prefent not a fafhionable one.

The head is almoft fquare, and is flat on the top : the nofe blunt : lips thick. It has no teeth, only in the upper lip is a fmall roughnefs : between the eyes and the mouth is a hard callus.

The pupil of the eye is black, encircled with a fmall filvery line : the upper part of the iris is hazel ; the lower filvery.

The form of the body is pretty thick, but the back not greatly elevated. The fcales are large and deciduous.

The firft dorfal fin is placed near the middle of the back, and confifts of four ftrong fpines ; the fecond of nine foft branching rays; the pectoral has fixteen, the ventral fix ; the firft a ftrong fpine, the others foft.

The tail is much forked.

The color of the back is dufky, varied with blue and green : the fides filvery, marked with broad dufky parallel lines, reaching from head to tail : the belly is filvery.

* Satyr. II. lib. I. 132..

Head

pi. i*xsm.

v

%

FLYTISr(T FLSH.

1

^

ANCHOVY.

Class IV.

FLYING FISH.

333

Head covered with fcales.

Pectoral fins almoft as long as the body.

XXXVIII.

FLYING

FISH.

Hirundo Plinii lib. IX. c. 26.

* H%oKono$ kou "A$covi$ ? Athe- n&us lib. VIII. 332. Op- pi an Halieut. I. 157. %E7u3»v i Oppian II. 459.

Rondine. Salvian, 186.

Hirondelle de mer. Belon, 1 89.

Mugil alatus. Rondel. 267.

Gefner pifc. 553. Wil. Icth, 1 59. Winc»

233- Exocsetus. Arted. fynon. 18. Exocaetus volitans. E. abdo-

mine utrinque carinato.

Lin.fyft. 520. Am<zn. Acad.

I. 603. Gronov. Zoopb.

No. 359.

ED,

TT7E can produce but a Tingle inftance of this V V fpecies -f being taken on the Britijh coafts. In June 1765, one was caught at a fmall diftance below Caermarthen, in the river Towy, being brought up by the tide which flows as far as the town. It is a fifh frequent enough in the Medi- terranean, and alfo in the ocean, where it leads a moft miierable life. In its own element it is per- petually haraffed by the Dorados, and other fifh of prey. If it endeavors to avoid them by having re- courfe to the air, it either meets its fate from the

* Pliny mentions it under the fame name, lib. IX. c. 19.

f This fiih was feen by John Strange, Efq; at Caermarthen,

who was fo obliging as to communicate to me the account of

Gulls,

S34 F L Y I N G F I S H. Glass IV.

Gulls, or the Albatrofs, or is forced down again into the mouth of the inhabitants of water, who below keep pace with its aerial excurfion. Neither is it unfrequent that whole fhoals of them fall on board of fhips that navigate the leas of warm cli- mates : it is therefore apparent, that nature in this creature hath fupplied it with inftruments that fre- quently bring it into that deftruction it ftrives to avoid, by having recourfe to an element unnatural to it.

The antients were acquainted with this fpecies :

Pliny mentions it under the name of Hirundo, and

fpeaks of its flying faculty. It is probable that

Oppian intended the fame by his Hheim x^oveg, or

the fwift fw allow fifli. What Athenaus and the

laft cited author mean by the EImmitoj and ASwwj,

is not fo evident : they affert it quitted the water

and ftept on the rocks, from whence it tumbled

with precipitation when disturbed by the unfriendly

birds : on thefe accounts Icthyologiits leem to have

made it fynonymous with the flying fijh.

p esc rip. It refembles the herring in form of the body,

but the back is flat : the leaks large and filvery :

the dorfal fin is fmall, and placed near the tail :

the pecToral fins, the inftruments of flight, are

almolt as long as the body : the tail is bifurcated,

Eight

H

4r

es

Class IV. H E R R I N G.

335

Eight branchioftegous rays.

The belly extremely (harp, and often ferrated.

XXXIX. HERRING,

Aringha ex cimbricis littori-

bus. Jo<vius9 143. Hareng, efpece de Chalcis.

Belon, 169. Harengus. Rondel. 222. Gef-

ner pifc. 410. Heringk. Scbonevelde, 37. Herring. Wil. Icth. 219.

Raii fyn. pifc. 103. Clupea maxilla inferiore lon- giore maculis carens. Arted.

Jynon. 14. a. $. Clupea Harengus. CI. im-

maculata, maxilla inferiore

longiore. Lin. fyft. 522. > Gronov. Zooph. No. 348. Sill. Faun. Suec. No. 357. a.

Stroioming. Faun. Suec.

No- 357. 0. Stromling*. Wulff. Borufs.

No. 50.

160. Bri- tish

'"TpHE herring was unknown to the antienrs, Name,

A notwithftanding the words x*tw$ and poems, are by tranflators rendered Hakcf, the characters given of thofe fifh are common to fuch numbers of different fpecies, as render it impoflible to fay which they intended.

Herrings are found from the higheft northern Place. latitudes yet known, as low as the northern coafh of France ; and excepting one inftance brought by

* The herring of the Baltic, in all refpe&s is like ours, but fmaller.

f Which word, in fpke of all lexicographers, never iignified any thing but the garum or pickle. Fide p. 221.

Dod3

TIOICS

336 H E R R I N p. Class IV.

Dod*, of a few being once tatyfcn in the Bay of Tangier, are never found more f^utherly.

They are met with in vaft fhc>als on the coaft of America, as low as Carolina. In Chef apeak Bay is an annual inundation of tho& fifh, which cover the fhores in fuch quantities as to become a nu- fance-f. We find them again in the feas of Kamtzchatka, and poffibjy they reach Japan -, for Kampfer mentions, in >iis account of the fifh of that country, fome thai: are congenerous.

The great winter rendezvous of the herring is within the Arclic circle : there they continue for many months in order to recruit themfelves after the fatigue of fpawning, the feas within that fpace fwarming with infect food, in a degree far greater than ir our warmer latitudes. Micra- This mighty army begins to put itfelf in motion

in the fpring ; we diftinguifh this vaft body by that name, for the word herring is derived from the German, Heer, an army, to exprefs their num- bers.

They begin to appear off the Shetland ifles in April and May ; thefe are only forerunners of the grand fhoal which comes in June, and their appear- ance is marked by certain figns by the numbers of birds, fuch as gannets, and others which follow to prey on them-: but when the main body ap- proaches, its breadth and its depth is fuch as to

* Natural Hzjr. of the Herring, p. Tfl f Catejby Carol II. XXXIII.

alter

TION.

Class IV. HERRING. 337

alter the appearance of the very ocean. It is di- vided into diftinct columns of five or fix miles in length, and three or four in breadth, and they drive the water before them with a kind of rip- pling : fometimes they fink for the fpace of ten or fifteen minutes, then rife again to the furface, and in bright weather reflect a variety of fplendid colors, like a field of the mod precious gems, in which, or rather in a much more valuable 'light, mould this ftupendous gift of Providence be con- fidered by the inhabitants of the Britijh ifles.

The firft check this army meets in its march Separa= fouthward, is from the Shetland ifles, which divide it into two parts ; one wing takes to the eaft, the other to the weftern fhores of Great Britain, and fill every bay and creek with their numbers -? others pafs on towards Yarmouth, the great and an- tient mart of herrings ; they then pafs through the Britijh channel, and after that in a manner difap- pear. Thofe which take to the weft, after offering themfelves to the Hebrides, where the great ftati- onary fifhery is, proceed towards the north of Ireland, where they meet with a fecond inter- ruption, and are obliged to make a fecond divifi- on; the one takes to the weftern fide, and is fcarce perceived, being foon loft in the immenfuy of the Atlantic", but the other, which paffes into the Irijh fea, rejoices and feeds the inhabitants of nioft of the coafts that border on it.

Thefe brigades, as we may call them, which are Vol. HI. Z thus

TIAL IN- STINCT.

338 HERRING. Class IV.

thus feparated from the greater columns, are of- ten capricious in their motions, and do not mew an invariable attachment to their haunts. We have had in our time inftances of their entirely quit- ting the coafts of Cardigan/hire^ and vifiting thofe of Caernarvon/hire and Flint/hire, where they conti- nued for a few years, but in the prefent year have quite deferted our fea, and returned to their old feats. The feafon of their appearance among us was very late, never before the latter end of No- vember j their continuance till February. Providen- Were we inclined to confider this partial migra- tion of the herring in a moral light, we might re- flect with veneration and awe on the mighty Pow- er which originally impreiTed on this moft ufeful body of his creatures, the inftinct that directs and points out the courfe, that blefTes and enriches thefe iflands, which caufes them at certain and invaria- ble times to quit the vaft polar deeps, and offer themfelves to our expecting fleets. That benevo- lent Being has never, from the earlieft records, been once known to withdraw this blefllng from the whole, though he often thinks proper to deny it to particulars ; yet this partial failure (for which we fee no natural reafon) mould fill us with the moft exalted and grateful fenfe of his Providence, for imprefiing fo invariable and general inftincl: on thefe nfh towards a fouthward migration, when the whole is to be benefited, and to withdraw it only when a minute part is to fuffer.

This

Class IV. HERRING. 339

This inftinft was given them, that they might Spawning. remove for the fake of depofiting their fpawn in warmer feas, that would mature and vivify it more affuredly than thofe of the frigid zone. It is not from defect of food that they fet themfelves in mo- tion, for they come to us full of fat, and on their return are almoft univerfally obferved to be lean and miferable. What their food is near the pole, we are not yet informed ; but in our feas they feed Food. much on the Onifcus Marinus, a cruftaceous infect, and fometimes on their own fry. The herring will rife to a fly. Mr. Low of Birfa in the Orknies afTures me, that he has caught many thoufands with a common trout fly, in a deep hole in a rivulet, into which the tide flows. He commonly went at the fall of the tide. They were young fifh, from fix to eight inches in length.

They are in full roe the end of June, and con- tinue in perfection till the beginning of winter, when they begin to depofit their fpawn. The young herrings begin to approach the fhores in July and Augufty and are then from half an inch to two inches long : thofe in Torkjhire are called Herring Sile*. Though we have no particular authority Return. for it, yet as very few young herrings are found in our feas during winter, it feems mod certain that they mud return to their parental haunts beneath.

* The Suedes and Danes call the old herring 02'//; but the people of Slefnx'Ukf from whence the Anglo-Saxoili came3 call She fry Sjkn,

Z a the

340

HERRING. Class IV.

the ice, to repair the vafb deftrucYion of their race during fummer, by men, fowl, and fifh. Some of the old herrings continue on our coafts the whole year: the Scarborough fifhermen never put down their nets but they catch a few -, but the numbers that remain are not worth mention in comparifon to the numbers that return. Bescrip. Herrings vary greatly in fize. Mr. Travis com- municated to me the information of an experienced fiiher, who informed him that there is fometimes taken near Tarmouth, a herring diftinguifhed by a black fpot above the nofe , and that he once faw one that was twenty-one inches and an half long. He infilled that it was a different fpecies, and varied as much from the common herring as that does from the pilchard. This we mention in order to incite fome curious perfon on that coaft to a farther enquiry.

The eye is very large : the edges of the upper jaw and the tongue are very rough, but the whole mouth is void of teeth : the gill covers are very loofe, and open very wide ; which occafions the almoft inftant death of the herring when taken out of the water, which is well known, even to a proverb.

The dorfal fin confifts of about feventeen rays, and is placed beyond the centre of gravity, fo that when the fifti is-iufpended by it, the head imme- diately dips down : the two ventral fins have nine

rays;,

Class IV. HERRING. 3¥

rays ; the pecloral feventeen \ the anal fourteen : the tail is much forked.

The lateral line is not apparent, unlefs the fcales are taken off: the fides are compreffed : the belly fharply carinated, but the ridge quite fmooth, and not in the left ferrated.

The fcales are large, thin, and fall off with a flight touch.

The color of the back and fides green, varied Color, with blue : the belly filvery.

The herring fifhery is of great antiquity : the Fi«*E*r« induflrious Dutch firft engaged ia it about the year 1 1 64: they wei-e in poffeffion of it for feveraj centuries, but at length its value became fo juftly to be known, that it gave rife to molt obflinate and well-difputed wars between the Englijh and them -, but ftill their diligence and fkill gives them a fuperiority over us in that branch of trade.

Our great ftations are off the Shetland and Wef- tern JJIes, and off the coaft of Norfolk, in which the Dutch alfo fhare. Yarmouth has long been famous for its herring fair * ; that town is obliged, by its charter, to fend to the fheriffs of Norwich one hundred herrings, to be made into twenty-four pies, by them to be delivered to the lord of the manor of Eaft Carleton, who is to convey them to the

* This fair was regulated by an acl, commonly called the Statute of Herrings t in the 31ft year of Edward III.

Z 3 kinr

9

342 HERRING. Class IV,

king *. The facetious Doctor Fuller f takes notice of the great repute the county qf Norfolk was in for this fifh, and, with his ufual archnefs, calls a red herring, a Norfolk Capon.

In 1195, Bunwich in Suffolk accounted to the king for their yearly fee farm rent, £120, 1 mark, and 24000 herrings, 12000 for the monks of Eye7 and 12000 for thofe of Ely.

The Dutch are mod extravagantly fond of this n(h when it is pickled. A premium is given to the firft bufs that arrives in Holland with a lading of this their ambrofia^ and a vaft price given for each keg. We have been in the country at that happy minute, and obferved as much joy among the inhabitants on its arrival, as the ^Egyptians fhew on the firft overflowing of the Nile. Flanders had the honor of inventing the art of pickling herrings. One William Beukeleny of Biervlet, near Sluys, hit on this ufef ul expedient : from him was derived the name pickle, which we borrow from the Dutch and German. Beukelen died in 1397. The emperor Charles V. held his memory in fuch veneration for the fervice he did mankind, as to do his tomb the honor of a vifit. It is very fingu- lgr that mod nations give the name of their fa- vorite difh to the facetious attendant on every mountebank. Thus the Dutch call him Pickle

* Cambden Britan. I. 458, f Britijh Worthies, 238.

Herring;

Class IV. PILCHARD. 343

Herring ; the Italians, Macaroni ; the French? , Jean Pottage; the Germans, Hans Wurst*; and we dignify him with the title of Jack Pud- ding.

Pilchard . Fuller's Brit . Wor- 223. Rati fyn. pifc. 104. 161. P 1 L -

tbies, 194. Clupea J. Arted, fynon. 16. CHARD.

Peltzer. Schonevelde, 40. Pilchard, Borlafe Cornwall, The Pilchard. WiL Icth. 272.

npHE pilchard appears in vafl: fhoals off the * Cornijh coafts about the middle of July, dis- appearing the beginning of winter, yet fometimes a few return again after Chrifimas. Their winter re- treat is the fame with that of the herring, and their motives for migrating the fame. They affect, du- ring fummer, a warmer latitude, for they are not found in any quantities on any of our coafts except thofe of Cornwall, that is to fay, from Fowey har- bor to the Stilly ifles, between which places the Ihoals keep fhifting for fome weeks.

The approach of the pilchard is known by much the fame figns as thofe that indicate the arrival of the herring, Perfons, called in Cornwall Fitters* are placed on the cliffs, to point to the boats fta- tioned off the land the courfe of the fifh. By the ift of James I. c. 23, filhermen are empowered to

* That is, Jack Saufage.

Z 4 go

344

PILCHARD. Class IV.

go on the grounds of others to hue, without being liable to actions of trefpafs, which before occafioned frequent lawfuits.

The emoluments that accrue to the inhabitants of that county are great, and are beft expreffed in the words of Doctor W. Borlafe, in his account of the Pilchard fifhery.

" It employs a great number of men on the fea, *c training tnem thereby to naval affairs; employs 6t men, women, and children, at land, in falting, ■ c preffing, walhing, and cleaning, in making *6 boats, nets, ropes, cafks, and all the trades de- <c pending on their conft ruction and fale. The " poor is fed with the offals of the captures, the " land with the refule of the fifh and fait, the mer- *c chant finds the gains of commiffion and honeft " commerce, the fifherman the gains of the fifh. " Ships are often freighted hither with fait, and ff into foreign countries with the fifh, carrying off ** at the fame time part of our tin. The ufual pro- " duce of the number of hogfheads exported each cc- year, for ten years, from 1747 to 1756 inclufive, " from the four ports of Fawy, Falmouth, Penzance, 6i and St. Ives, it appears that Fawy has exported "yearly 1732 hogfheads; Falmouth, 14631 h'bgf- " heads and two- thirds; Penzance and Mounts- Bay ■, " 1 2 149 hogfheads and one-third; St. Ives, 1282 " hogfheads: in all amounting to 29795 hogfheads. V Every hogfhead for ten years laft pa ft, together f! with the bounty allowed for -each hogfhead ex-

cc ported,

Class IV, PILCHARD. 34$

" ported, and the oil made out of each hogfhead, " has amounted, one year with another at an a- " verage, to the price of one pound thirteen fhil- " lings and three-pence-, fo that the cam paid for "pilchards exported has, at a medium, annually " amounted to the fum of forty-nine thoufand five " hundred and thirty-two pounds ten millings."

The numbers that are taken at one mooting; out of the nets, is amazingly great. Dr. Borlafe afTured me, that on the 5th of Offober, 1767, there were at one time inclofed in St. Ives's Bay 7000 hogf- heads, each hogfhead containing 35000 fifh, in all 245000000.

This fifn has a general likenefs to the herring, but Descrip, differs in fome particulars very eiTentially ; we there- fore defcribe it comparatively with the other, hav- ing one of each fpecies before us, both of them of the fame length, viz. nine inches and an half.

The body of the pilchard is lefs comprefied than that of the herring, being thicker and rounder: the nofe is fhorter in proportion, and turns up : the under jaw is fhorter.

The back is more elevated : the belly lefs fharp : the dorfal fin of the pilchard is placed exactly in the centre of gravity, fo that when taken up by it, the body preferves an equilibrium, whereas that of the herring dips at the head : the dorfal fin of the pilchard we examined, being placed only three inches eight tenths from the tip of the nofe 5 that of the herring four inches one tenth.

The

346 S P R A T. Class IV.

The fcales of the pilchard adhere very clofely, whereas thofe of the herring very eafily drop off.

The pilchard is in general lefs than the herring ; the fpecimen we defcribe being a very large one.

The pilchard is fatter, or more full of oil.

162. Sprat. Spratti. Wil. Icth 221. Raii* Clupea Sprattus. CI. pinna

fyn. fife. 105. dorfali radiis tredecim. Lin.

Clupea quadriuncialis, max- fyji. 523.

ilia inferiore, longiore, ven- Hwufsbuk. Faun. Suec. No.

tre acutiffimo. Arted. fynon. 358.

*7-

MR. Willughby and Mr. Ray were of opinion, that thele fim were the fry of the herring : we are induced to difTent from them, not only be- caufe on comparing a fprat and young herring of equal fize, we difcovered fome fpecific diffe- rences, but likewife for another reafon : the former vifit our coafts, and continue with us in fhoals in- numerable, when the others in general have retired to the great northern deeps.

They come into the river Thames, below bridge, the beginning of November* and leave it in March, and are, during their feafon, a great relief to the poor of the capital.

At Grave/end, and at Yarmouth, they are cured like red herrings-, they are fometimes pickled, and are little inferior in flavor to the Anchovy, but the

bones

Class IV. ANCHOVY.

bones will not difiblve like thofe of the latter. Mr. Forfter tells me, that in the Baltic they pre- ferve them in the fame manner, and call them Breitlingy i. e. the little deep fifh, as being deeper than the Stromling, or Baltic herring.

The fprat grows to about the length of five in- ches : the body is much deeper than that of a young herring of equal length : the back fin is placed more remote from the nofe than that of the herring, and we think had fixteen rays. But one great dif- tin&ion between this fifh, the herring and pilchard, is the belly : that of the two firft being quite fmooth, that of the laft mod ftrongly ferrated. Another is, that the herring has fifty fix vertebrae ^ this only forty eight.

347

Descrip,

VY,

^Lwoav'Ko; ? Arift. Hift. an. Lycoftomus, fehe mareneken? 163. Ancho- Lib. VI. c 15. Schonevelde, 46. Tab. 5.

t- '.>//.; t l Anchovy. Wil. Icth. 22c.

Vn c 2$~ Rmifyn.pi/c. io7._

" * )# Clupea maxilla fuperiore lon-

L'Anchoy? Belon, 165. gi0re. Arted./ynon. 17.

Encraficholus ? Rondel. 211. Clupea encraficolus. Lin./y/t. Qe/ner pi/c. 63. 523.

THE true anchovies are takerf in vaft quanti- ties in the Mediterranean^ and are brought over here pickled. The great fifhery is at Gorgona^ a fmall ifle weft of Leghorn.

Mr. Ray dilcovered this fpecies in the eftuary of

the

34$ S H A D. Class IV.

the Bee above a century ago *. Since that time no notice has been taken of it, till a few were taken near my houfe in 1769.

The length of the largeft was fix inches and an half: the body (lender, but thicker in proportion than the herring.

The eyes were large : the irides white, with a call: of yellow : the under jaw much fhorter than the tipper: the teeth fmall; a row in each jaw, and another on the middle of the tongue. The tongue doubly ciliated on both fides. The dorfal fin confifted of twelve rays, was tranfparent, and placed nearer the nofe than the tail.

The fcales large and deciduous : back green and femipellucid : fides and belly filvery and opake : edge of the belly fmooth : the tail forked.

164. Shad, ®furaa> Arift, Hi/?, an. lib. Shad, or Mother of Herrings.

IX. c. 37. Strabo lib. XV. Wil. Icth. 227. Raii fyn.

486. XVIT. 566. Athenteiis, pifc. 105.

lib. IV. 131. VII. 328. Clupea apice maxilla fupe-

Oppian Halieut. I. 244. riore bifido, maculis nigris

Alaufa ? Aufonii Mofella, 128. utrinque. Arted. Jynon.

Laccia, chiepa. Safoian, 104. 15.

I/Alofe. Belon, 307. Clupea alofa. CI. lateribus

Thrifla. Rondel. 220. Gefner nigro maculatis, roftro bi-

pifc. 20. £do. Lin.JyJl. 523. Grono<v.

Bayckc,Meyfifch. Schonevelde, Zooph. No.^tf.

*3-

NEITHER Ariftotky Athen<eus^ nor Oppian, have defcribed their ®^<ra with fuch pre- * ftafj Letters, 47.

cifiori,

Class IV. SHAD. 349

cifion, as to induce ns .to tranflate it the Shad, without affixing to it our fceptic mark. Aufonius has been equally negligent in refpecl to his Alaufa : all he tells us is, that it was a very bad fifh :

StrUente/que focis obfonia pie bis Alausaj.

i

Alaufa crackling on the embers are Of wretched poverty, th' infipid fare.

But commentators have agreed to render the Bpecra of the firft, and the Alaufa of the laft, by the word Shad. Perhaps they were directed by the authority of Strabo, who mentions the ®?i<r<ra the fuppofed Shady and the Kzt^v;, or Mullet, as fifh that afcend the Nile at certain feafons, which, with the Dolphin* of that river, he fays, are the only kinds that venture up from the fea for fear of the crocodile. That the two firft are fifh of paffage in the Nik, is confirmed to us by Beloniusf, and by Ha£elquift%. The laft fays it is found in the Mediterranean near Smyrna, and on the coaft of A&gypt, near Rofetto, and that in the months Decern- her and January it afcends the Nile, as high as Cairo : that it is fluffed with pot marjoram, and

* This is the Dolphin of the Nile, a fiuVuow unknown to ks. Pliny lib, VIH. c. 25. fays, it had a fliarp fin on its back, with which it deftroyed the crocodile, by thrufting it into the belly of that animal, the only penetrable place, f Belon. It in. 98. • X &• 385, 38S, Smdijb edition,

m\tn

350

SHAD. Class IV.

when drefied in that manner will very nearly intox- icate the eater.

In Great Britain the Severn affords this fifh in higher perfection than any other river. It makes its firft appearance there in May, but in very warm feafons in April; for its arrival, fooner or later, depends much on the temper of the air. It continues in the river about two months, and then is fucceeded by a variety which we fhall have oc- cafion to mention hereafter.

The Severn fhad is efteemed a very delicate fifh about the time of its firft appearance, efpecially in that part of the river that flows by Gloucefter, where they are taken in nets, and ufually fell dearer than falmon : fome are fent to London, where the fifh- mongers diftinguifh them from thofe of the Thames, by the French name of Alofe.

Whether they fpawn in this river and the Wye is not determined, for their fry has not yet been afcer- tained. The old fiih come from the fea into the river in full roe. In the months of July and Augufi, multitudes of bleak frequent the river near Glou- cefter-y fome of them are as big as a fmall herring, and thefe the fifhermen erroneoufly fufpect to be the fry of the fhad. Numbers of thefe are taken near Gloucefier in thofe months only, but none of the emaciated fhad are ever caught in their re- turn *•

* Belon alfo obferves, that none are taken in their return, on

Us trend en montant contre Us rivieres, et jamais en defendant.

The

Class IV.

SHAD.

"35*

The "Thames fli ad does not frequent that river till Twaiti, the latter end of May or beginning of June, and is efleemed a very infipid coarfe fifh. The Severn fhad is fometimes caught in the Thames^ though rarely, and called Allis (no doubt Alofe, the French name) by the fimermen^ in that river. About the fame time, and rather earlier, the variety called near Gloucefter the Twaite, makes its appearance, and is taken in great numbers in the Severn, and is held in as great difrepute as the mad of the Thames. The differences between each variety are as fol- low:

The true Shad weighs fometimes eight pounds, but their general fize is from four to five.

The Twaite^ on the contrary, weighs from half a pound to two pounds, which it never exceeds.

The twaite differs from a fmall fhad only in hav- ing one or more round black fpots on the fides ; if only one, it is always near the gill, but commonly there are three or four, placed one under the other *.

The other particulars agree in each fo exactly, Bbscrip. that the fame defcription will ferve for both.

The head flopes down confiderably from the back, which at the beginning is very convex, and rather fharp : the body from thence grows gradu- ally lefs to the tail.

* I muft here acknowledge my obligations to Do&or Lyfens, of Gloucejier, for his communications relating to this fifh, as. well as to feveral other articles relating to thofe of the Severn.

The

W S H A D. Class IV.

The under jaw is rather longer than the upper : the teeth very minute.

The dorfal fin is placed very near the centre, is fmall, and the middle rays are the longer! : the peroral and ventral fins are fmall : the Tail vaflly forked : the belly extremely fliarp, and moll ftrong- ly ferrated.

The back is of a dufky blue : above the giljs begins a line of dark fpots, which mark the upper part of the back on each fide j the number of thefe fpots is uncertain in different fifh3 from four tQ ten.

Ti

Pl.IXX.

jsrpjfo.

C^ItP.

BitEj^^r

2sr?i6g

Class IV. CAR P. 353

The mouth without teeth. ^L# CARP,

Three branchioftegous rays. One dorial fin.

* With bearded mouths.

Kvwpivot? drift. Hift. an. lib. Cyprinus cirris quatuor, ofli- 165, Carp, IV. 8. VI. 40. VIII. zo. H. 30. culo tertio pinnarum doiTi, Oppian Halieut. I. 101. 592. ac ani uncinulis armato.

Raina Burbara. Sal<vian. 92. Arted. Jynon. 3.

La Carpe. Belon, z6j. Cyprinus carpio. C. pinna ani

Cyprinus. Rondel, flwviat. 150. radiis 9. cirris 4, pinna dor- Gefner pifc. 309. falis radio fecundo poftice

Cyprinus nobilis, edle Karpe, ferrato. Lin. Jyp. 525. &•<?* KarpfFe. Schonevelde, 32. nov. Zooph. No. 330.

Carp. WiL Ictb. 245. Raii Jyn. Karp. Faun. Suae No. 359. pifc 115.

THIS is one of the naturalized fifh of our coun- try, having been introduced by Leonard Mafcbal, about the year 1514*, to whom we were alfo indebted for that excellent apple xhepepin. The many good things that our ifland wanted before that period, are enumerated in this old diftich :

Turkies, carps, hops, pickerel, and beer, Came into England all in one year, f

As

• Fuller's Britijb Worthies, Sufex. 113.

f I infert this note to fhew that it was known here before. The extract was made from the Boke of St. Alborfs printed at Weftminfier, by Wynkyn de Worde, in the year 1496. I think jmyfelf much obliged to Mr. Haworth, in Chancery -la?ie, not only for this but feveral other curious remarks.

' The carpe is a dayntous fifshe, but there ben but fewe in

* Englonde9 and therfore I wry te the cafle of rum. For he is

* too ftronge enarmyd in the mouthe that there may noo weke

* harnays hold hym. And as touchyne his baytes, I have but

* Jytyll knoolege of it, and we were loth to wryte more than Voj,,III. A a • I know

354 CAR P. Class IV.

RuJJta wants thefe fifh at this day, Sweden has them only in the ponds of the people of fafhion j Polijh Pruffia is the chief feat of the carp •, they abound in the rivers and lakes of that country, particularly in the Frifch and Curifch-haff, where they are taken of a vaft fize. They are there a great article of commerce, and fent in well-boats to Sweden and Rujfia. The merchants purchafe them out of the waters of the noblejfe of the country, who draw a good revenue from this article. Neither are there wanting among our gentry, infiances of fome who make good profit of their ponds.

The antients do not feparate the carp from the fea fifti. We are credibly informed that they are fome- times found in the harbor of Dantzick, between the town and a fmall place called Hela.

Carp are very long-lived. Gefner* brings an irt- ftance of one that was an hundred years old. They alfo grow to a very great fize. On our own know- ledge we can fpeak of none that exceeded twenty pounds in weight : but Jovius^ fays, that they were fometimes taken in the Lactts Larius (the Lago di Como) of two hundred pounds weight : and Rzac- zynfki X mentions others taken in the Dniefter that were five feet in length.

4 1 know and have provyd. But well I wote that the redde 4 worm , and the menow ben good baytyn for him at all 4 tymes, as I have herd faye of perfones credyble, and alfo 4 founde wryten in bekes of credence.

* Gffner pifc. 312. i De pi/cibm Romanis, 1 3 1 .

X Hifi* Nat. Poloni*, 1 42.

They

TY,

Class IV. CARP. 355

They are alio extremely tenacious of life, and will live for a mod remarkable time out of water. An experiment has been made by placing a carp in a net, well wrapped up in wet mofs, the mouth only remaining out, and then hung up in a cel- lar, or fome cool place : the fifh is frequently fed with white bread and milk, and is befides often plunged into water. Carp thus managed have been known, not only to have lived above a fortnight, but to grow exceedingly fat, and far fuperior in tafte to thofe that are immediately killed from the pond *.

The carp is a prodigious breeder: its quantity Foecundx.- of roe has been fometimes found fo great, that when taken out and weighed againlt the fifh itfelf, the former has been found to preponderate. From the fpawn of this fifh Caviare is made for the Jews, who hold this ilurgeon in abhorrence. We have forbore in this work to enter into minute cal- culations of the numbers each fifh may produce. It has already been mod fkilfully performed by Mr. Harmer, and printed in the Pbilofophical Tran- faffions of the year 1767. We fhall, in our Ap- pendix, take the liberty of borrowing fuch part of his tables of the fcecundity of fifh, as will deriion- ftrate the kind attention of Providence, towards the

* This was told me by a gentleman of the utmoft vera- city, who had twice made the experiment. The fame fad is related by that pious Philofopher Doctor Derbam, in his Pkjjiio -Theology, edit. 9th. 1737, c&* *• /• 7- *• e-

A a 2 preferving

35°

R P. Class IV.

preferring fo ufeful a clafs of animals for the fer- vice of its other creatures.

Thefe fifh are extremely cunning, and on that account are by fome ftyled the river fox. They will fometimes leap over the nets, and efcape that way ; at others, will immerfe themfelves fo deep in the mud, as to let the net pafs over them. They are alfo very fhy of taking a bait ; yet at the fpawning time they are fo fimple, as to fuffer them- felves to be tickled, handled, and caught by any body that will attempt it.

This fifh is apt to mix its milt with the roe of other fi(h, from which is produced a fpurious breed : we have feen the offspring of the carp and tench, which bore the greater!; refemblance to the firft: have alfo heard of the fame mixture between ths carp and bream. Bescrip. The carp is of a thick fhape : the fcales very- large, and when in beft feafon of a fine gilded hue.

The jaws are of equal length; there are two teeth in the jaws, or on the tongue; but at the en- trance of the gullet, above and below, are certain bones that act on each other, and comminute the food before it pafTes down,

On each fide of the mouth is a fingle beard ; above thofe on each fide another, but fhorter : the dorfal fin extends far towards the tail, which is a little bifurcated; the third ray of the dorfal fin is very ftrong, and armed with fliarp teeth, point- ing

C&assIV. BARBEL.

\ng downwards ; the third ray of the anal fin is conftrufted in the fame manner.

257

Bafbus. Aufonius Mofella, 94. Barbeau. Belon, 299. Barbus, Barbo. Salvian, 86. Barbus. Rondel, jiiwiat* 194.

Ge/ner pifc. 123. Barbe, Barbie. Scbone-velde,

Barbel. Wil. Ictb. 259.

Rail fyn. pifc. 1 2 1 . Cyprinus oblongus, maxilla

iuperiore longiore, cirris

quatuoi-p pinna ani officu- 166. Bare ei<

lor urn feptem. Arted. Jj-

non. 8. Cyprinus Barbus. C. pinna

aniradiis 7. cirris 4. pinnse

dorfi radio fecundo utrin-

q ue ferrato. Lin. fyft. 525.

Gronov. Zoopb. No. 331. Barbe, Barbie. Wulff Boruft.

No. 52.

THIS fifh was' fo extremely coarfe, as to be overlooked by the antients till the time of Aufonius, and what he fays is no panegyric on it % for he lets us know it loves deep waters,, and that when it grows old it was not abfolutely bad.

Laxos exerces Barbe natatus, Tu melior pejore <evo9 tibi contigit uni Spirantum ex numero non inlaudaia feneftus.

It frequents the (till and deep parts of rivers, and lives in fociety, rooting like-fwine with their nofes in the foft banks. It is fo tame as to fuffer itfelf to be taken with the hand; and people have been known to take numbers by diving for them. In fummer they move about during night in fearch

A a 3 of

358 B A R B E L. Class IV.

of food, but towards autumn* and during winter* confine themfelves to the deeped holes.

They are the word and coarfeft of frefh water filh, and feldom eat but by the poorer fort of peo- ple, who fometime boil them with a bit of bacon to give them a relifh. The roe is very noxious, affecting thofe who unwarily eat of it with a nau- fea, vomiting, purging, and a (light fwelling. Des crip. It is fometimes found of the length of three feet, and eighteen pounds in weight : it is of a long and rounded form : the fcales not large.

Its head is fmooth : the noftrils placed near the eyes : the mouth is placed below : on each corner is a fingle beard, and another on each fide the nofe.

The dorfal fin is armed with a remarkable ftrong fpine, fharply ferrated, with which it can inflict a very fevere wound on the incautious han- dler, and even do much damage to the nets.

The pectoral fins are of a pale brown color; the ventral and anal tipped with yellow : the tail a little bifurcated, and of a deep purple : the fide line is (trait.

The fcales are of a pale gold color, edged with black : the belly is white.

Tinea,

Class IV.

TENCH.

359

Tinea. Aufonius Mofella, 123. Tinea. Jo-vius, 1 24. Tinea, Tenca. Salwan, 90. La Tanche. Be/on, 325. Tinea. Rondel, jliwiat. 157.

Gefner pifc, 984. Schley, Slye. Scbcwvelds, 76. Tench. WiL IctL 251, i?*«

fyn.pfc. 117. Cyprinus mucofus totus ni-

grefcens, extremitate caudae

sequali. Arted. fynon. 5. Cyprinus pinna ani radiis 25,

cauda integra, corpore mu-

cofo, cirris 2. L/«. Jyft.

526. Grono^v. Zoopb. No.

328. Suture, Linnare, Skomakare.

Faun. Suec. No. 363. Schleihe, Schlegen. Wulff Bo-

rufs. No. 55.

167. Tench.

THE tench underwent the fame fate with the barbel, in refpect to the .notice taken of it by the early writers ; and even Aufonius y who firft mentions it, treats it with fuch difrefpeel, as evin- ces the great capricioufntfs of tafte -, for that fifh, which at prefent is held in fuch good repute, was in his days the repaft only of the Canaille. .

Quis non et virides vulgi folatia Tineas Norit ?

It has been by fome called the Phyfician of the fifh, and that the flime is fo healing, that the wounded apply it as a {lyptic^ The ingenious Mr. Diaper ', in his pif calory ecloges, fays, that even the voracious pike will fpare the tench on account of us healing powers :

A a 4

The

36o TENCH. Class IV.

The Tench he fpares a medicinal kind :

For when by wounds diftreft, or fore difeafe.

He courts the falutary fifh for eafe ;

Clofe to his fcales the kind phyfician glides,

And fweats a healing balfam from his fides *.

Whatever virtue its flime may have to the in- habitants of the water, we will not vouch for, but its flefh is a wholefome and delicious food to thofe of the earth. The Germans are of a different opi- nion. By way of contempt, they call it Shoemaker. Gefner even fays, that it is infipid and(unwhole- fome.

It does not commonly exceed four or five pounds in weight, but we have heard of one that weighed ten pounds ; Salvianus fpeaks of fome that arrived at twenty pounds.

They love ftill waters, and are rarely found ini rivers : they are very fooli(h, and eafily caught. D£scrip. The tench is thick and fhort in proportion to its length : the fcales are very fmall, and covered with dime.

The irides are red : there is fometimes, but not always, a fmall beard at each corner of the mouth.

The color of the back is dufky ; the dorfal and ventral fins of the fame color : the head, fides, and belly, of a greenilh call:, moil: beautifully mixed with gold, which is in its greateft fplendor when the fifh is in the highefl feafon.

* Ed. II.

The

Class IV. GUDGEON. 361

The tail is quite even at the end, and very broad.

Gobio. Aufonius Mofella, 132. Raiifyn.pifc. 123. 168. Gup-

Gobio fluviatilis. Salvian, Cyprinus quincuncialis macu- geon.

214. lofus, maxilla fuperiore lon-

Goujon de riviere. Belon, giore cirris duobus ad os.

322. Arted. fynon. 2.'

Gobio fluviatilis. Rondel, flu- Cyprinus pinna ani radiis 2.

njiat. 206. Gefner fife. 399. Lin. Syji. Nat. 526. Gro-

Gudgeon. Wil. Icth. 264. nov. Zooph. No. 329/.

sfRISTOTLE mentions the gudgeon in two -** places ; once as a river fi{h, and again as a fpecies that was gregarious : in a third place he defcribes it as a fea fifh -, we muft therefore confi- der the Kw£w$ he mentions, lib. IX. c. 2. and lib. VIII. c. 19. as the fame with our fpecies*.

This fifh is generally found in gentle ftreams, and is of a fmall fize : thofe few, however, that are caught in the Rennet, and Cole, are three times the weight of thofe taken elfewhere. The large ft we ever heard of was taken near Uxbridge, and weighed half a pound.

They bite eagerly, and are afiembled by raking the bed of the river ; to this fpotthey immediately crowd in fhoals, expecting food from this dif- turbance.

* The gudgeon is enumerated among the Syrian fifh, by Vr.RuJTel, p.7S,

The

362

Descrip.

BREAM.

Class IV.

. The fhape of the body is thick and round : the irides tinged with red : the gill covers with green and filver : the lower jaw is fliorter than the up- per : at each corner of the mouth is a fingle beard : the back olive, fpotted with black: the fide line (trait ; the fides beneath that filvery : the belly white.

The tail is forked -9 that, as well as the dorfal fin, is fpotted with black.

** Without Beards.

169. Bream. La Bremme. Bclon, 318. Cyprinus latus five Brama.

Rondel, fiwviat. 154. Ge/ner

pijc. 316, 317. BrafTem, Brachfem. Schone-

velde, 33. Bream. Wil. Icth. 248. Rail

fyn. fife \\6. Cyprinus pinnis omnibus ni-

grefcentibus, pinna ani

officulorum viginti feptera. Arted. fynon. 4. Cyprinus Brama. Lin, fyft. 531. Grononj. Zoopb. No.

345- Braxen. Faun. Suec. No. 360.

Gareikl. Kram. 391. Brek-

meu. Wulff Borufs. No. 66.

THE bream is an inhabitant of lakes, or the deep parts of (till rivers. It is a fifh that is very little efteemed, being extremely infipid.

It is extremely deep, and thin in proportion to its length. The back rifes very much, and is very fnarp at the top. The head and mouth are fmall:

on

PL. idcxh.

JST91J2.

CBXTSIAN.

RUD.

nrfJjO.

Class IV.

R U D.

on fome we examined in the fpring, were abun- dance of minute whitilh tubercles 5 an accidenc which Pliny feems to have obferved befals the fifh of the Lago Maggiore, and Lago di Como *. The fcales are very large : the fides flat and thin.

The dorfal fin has eleven rays, the fecond of which is the longed: that fin, as well as all the red, are of a dufky color ; the back of the fame hue : the fides yellowifh.

The tail is very large, and of the form of a crefcent.

3%

XaoaZ ? Athenans, lib. VIII. Cyprinus. Arted. jynon. 6.

355. Oppian Halient. I. 174.. No. 8.

La Pleftia? Bekn, 309. La Cyprinus erythropthalmus.

Rofi'e, 319. Cyprinus pinna ani radiis

Finfcale. Plot's Oxf. 184. 15. pinnis rubris. Lin.Jyft.

Rutilus latior, feu Rubellio Nat. 530.

fluviatilis a Rud, Roud, Sarf. Ifarf. Faun. Suec, No,

or Finfcale. Wil. 252. Rati Jyn. pifc.

Icth. 118.

\66.

170. Rud.

THIS fifh is found in the CharwelU near Oxford> in the Witham in Lincoln/hire^ and in the fens in Holdernefs,

* Duo Lacus Italije in radtcibus Alpium, Larius et Verb anus appellantur> in quibus pifces omnibus annis Ver- C ilia RUM or.tu exiftunt, fquamis conjpicui crebris at que pra- acutis, clavorum call gar ium effigie : nee amplius quam circa eum men/em, wifuntur. lib. IX. r. 18.

Its

3.64 CRUCIAN. Class IV.

Its body is extremely deep, like that of the bream, but much thicker. Pes crip. The head is fmall : the irides yellow, varying in fome almoft to rednefs : the noftrils large : the back vaftly arched, and Hoping off fuddenly to the head and tail : the fcales very large : the fide line very (lightly incurvated.

The dorfal fin confifts of eleven rays ; the firft very lhort, the fecond very ftrong, and ferrated on each fide. The pectoral fins confift of feven- teen -y the ventral of nine ; the anal of thirteen rays.

The back is of an olive color : the fides and belly of a gold color, with certain marks of red ; the ventral and anal fins, and the tail, generally of a deep red : the tail forked.

We believe this to be the fame with the Shal- low of the Cam •, which grows to the length of thir- teen inches. It fpawns in April.

S7I.Cr.uci- Cyprinus Caraffius. Lin.fyfi. Karaufchen. Meyer an. XI. 58. an. Ruda, et CarufTa. Faun.Suec. Karafs. Gefner pifc. Paralip.

N. 364. 16.

THIS fpecies is common in many of the fifh ponds about London, and other parts of the fouth of England-, but I believe is not a native fifh.

It

Class IV,

R O A C Ho

It is very deep and thick : the back is much arched : the dorfal fin confifts of nineteen rays ; the two firft ftrong and ferrated. The pefloral fins have (each) thirteen rays-, the ventral nine-, the anal kvcn or eight : the lateral line parallel with the belly : the tail almoft even at the end.

The color of the fifh in general is a deep yel- low : the meat is coarfe, and little efteemed.

3%

La Gardon, Rofchie 2. en

Angleterre. Belon, 316. Leucifcus. Rondel, fiwviat.

191. Rutilus five Rubellus fluvia-

tilis. Gefner pifc. 820. Rottauge. Schonevelds, 63. Roche. Wil. Icth. 262.

Leucifcus prior. Rondel.

260. Raiifyn. pifc. 122,

121,

Cyprinus fargus di^lus. Cyp. 172. Roach,

iride pinnis ventralibus ac

ani plerumque rubentibu?.

Arted. fynon. 9, 10. Cyprinus Rutilus. Cyp. pinna

ani radiis 12. rubicunda,

Lin. fyft. 529. Mort. Faun. Sitec. No. 372. Zert. WulffBorufs. No. 59. Altl. Kram. 395.

frOUND as a Roach, is a proverb that appears *-* to be but indifferently founded, that fifn be- ing not more diftinguimed for its vivacity than many others ; yet it is ufed by the French as well as us, who compare people of ftrong health to their Gardon^ our roach.

It is a common fifh, found in many of our deep ftill rivers, affe&ing, like the others of this genus, quiet waters. It is gregarious, keeping in large ihoals. We have never fcen them very large.

Old

366

D

E.

Class IV.

Old Walton fpeaks of fome that weighed two pounds. In a lift of fifh fold in the London mar- kets, with the greateft weight of each, communi- cated to us by an intelligent fifhmonger, is men- tion of one whofe weight was five pounds.

The roach is deep, but thin, and the back is much elevated, and iharply ridged: the fcales large, and fall off very eafily. Side line bends much in the middle towards the belly.

173. Dace. Une vandoife, on Dard. Be*

Ion, 313. Leucifci fecunda fpecies.

Rondel. 192. Gefnerpifc. 26. Dace, or Dare. , Wil. Icth.

260. Rait Jyn. pifc. 121. Cyprinus decern digitorum,

rutilo longior, et angufti-

or, pinna ani radiorum de» cem. Arted. fynon. 9.

Cyprinus leucifcus. Cyp. pin- na ani radiis 10. dorfali 9. tin. fyfl. 528.

Laugele. Meyer's An. II. tab, 97-

THIS, like the roach, is gregarious, haunts the fame places, is a great breeder, very lively, and during fummer is very fond of frolick- ing near the furface of the water. This fifh and the roach are coarfe and infipid meat.

Its head is fmall : the irides of a pale yellow : the body long and (lender : its length feldom above ten inches, though in the abovementioned lift is an account of one that weighed a pound and an half: the fcales fmaller than thofe of the roach,

The

Class IV. GRAINING. 367

The back is varied with dufky, with a caft of yellowifli green : the fides and belly filvery : the dorfal fin dufky : the ventral, anal, and caudal fins red, but lefs fo than thofe of the former : the tail is very much forked.

The Graining. Fey. fo the Hebrides, u. 174. Grain-

ing.

>TpHE Graining is found in the Merfey near ■*■ Warrington : has much the refemblance of a dace, but is more flender, and the back ftraiter. The ufual length about feven inches and a half. The depth to the length of this is as one to five, of the dace as one to four. The color of the back is filvery, with a bluifh caft. The eyes, ventral, and anal fins are red, but paler than thofe of the dace. The pectoral fin redder.

Capito*

36S

HUB.

Class IV.

175. Chub. Capito. Au/on. Mo/ella, 85.

Squalus, Squaglio. Safoian, 84.

Le chevefne, Teftard, Vi- lain. Belon, 315.

Cephalus fluviatilis. Ron- del, fiwviat. 1 90.

Capito five Cephalus fluvia- tilis. Gefner pi/c. 182.

Chub, or Chevin. Wil. Ictk. 255. Rait Jyn. pi/c. 119.

Cyprinus oblongus macrolepi- dotus, pinna ani officulorum

. undecim. Arted. Jynon, 7.

Cyprinus cephalus. Cyp. pinna ani radiis undecim, cauda Integra, corpore fub- cylindrico. Lin. fyft. 527. Gronov. Zooph. No. 339.

Alte. Mayer's An. II. tab. 92.

Rapen. Wulff Boru/s. No. 56,

ViALVIANUS imagines this fifh to have been ^ the Squalus * of the antients, and grounds his opinion on a fuppofed error in a certain pafTage in Columella and Varro^ where he would fubftitute the word Squalus inftead of Scar us : Columella fays no more than that the old Romans payed much attention to their flews, and kept even the fea fifh in frefli water, paying as much refpect to the Mullet and Scarus as thofe of his days did to the Murana and Bafs.

That the Scarus was not our Chub, is very evi- dent i not only becaufe the Chub is entirely an in- habitant of frefli waters, but likewife it feems im- probable that the Romans would give themfelves

* A cartilaginous fifh, a mark. Vide Plin. lib. IX. c. 24. Ovid alfo ranks his Squalus with the fea fifh.

^"/Squalus, et tenui fuffufus /anguine M u l l u s . Hdlieut, 147.

any

fc/

^il'

i

1>

Class IV. G H U B, 369

any trouble about the word of river fifh, when they neglected the moil delicious kinds 5 all their attention was directed towards thole of the fea: the difficulty of procuring them feems to have been the criterion of their value, as is ever the cafe with effete luxury.

The chub is a very coarfe ftfti and full of bones : it frequents the deep holes of rivers, and during fummer commonly lies on the furface, beneath the fhade of fame tree or bufh. It is a very timid fifh, finking to the bottom on the left alarm, even at the palling of a fhadow, but they will foon refume their fituation. It feeds on worms, caterpillars, grafshoppers, beetles, and other coleopterous in- fects that happen to fall into the water \ and it will even feed on cray-fifh. This fifli will rife to a fly.

This fifh takes its name from its head, not only in our own, but in other languages : we call it Chub, according to Skinner, from the old Englijh, Cop, a heads the French, Tejiard-, the Italians, Capitone.

It does not grow to a large fize •, we have known fome that weighed above five pounds, but Salvianus fpeaks of others that were eight or nine pounds in weight.

The body is oblong, rather round, and of a pretty equal thicknefs the greateft part of the way : the fcales are large.

The irides filvery ; the cheeks of the fame color : the head and back of a deep dufky green : the

Vol. III. B b fides

37°

BLEAK.

Class IV.

fides filvery, but in the fummer yellow : the belly white : the pectoral fins of a pale yellow : the ventral and anal fins red : the tail a little forked, of a brownilh hue, but tinged with blue at the end.

176. Bleak. Alburnus. Aufon. Mofeila,

126. Able ou Ablette. Be/on, 319. Alburnus. Rondel, jluviat.

208. Ge/ner pifc. 23. Albula minor. Witinck,

Witek and Blike. Scbone-

velde, II. Tab. I. Bleak. Wil. Icth. 263. Rati

fyn. pifc. 123. Cyprinus quincuncialis, pinna

aniofficulorum viginti. Ar- te d.fynon. 10. Cyprinus alburnus. Lin.fyji. 531. Grotiov, Zooph. No*

336- Loja. Faun. Suec. No. 373. Spitflauben, fchneiderfifchl.

Kram. 395. Ukeleyen. WulJBorufs. No,

64.

THE taking of thefe, Aujonius lets us know, was the fport of children,

Alburn os pr<edam puerilibus hamis.

They are very common in many of our rivers, and keep together in large fhoals. Thefe fifh feem at certain feafons to be in great agonies •, they tumble about near the furface of the water, and are incapable of fwimming far from the place, but in about two hours recover, and difappear. Fifh thus affected the Thames fifhermen call mad bleaks, They feem to be troubled with a fpecies of Qordius or hair-worm, of the fame kind with

thofe

Class IV. BLEAK. 37*

thofe which Ariftotk* fays that the Ballerus and Tillo are infefled with, which torments them fo that they rife to the furface of the water and then die.

Artificial pearls are made with the fcales of this Artificial rim, and we think of the dace. They are beat in- to a fine powder, then diluted with water, and in- troduced into a thin glafs bubble, which is af- terwards filled with wax. The French were the inventors of this art. Doctor Lifter f tells us, that when he was at Paris, a certain artift ufed in one winter thirty hampers full of fifTi in this manu- facture.

The bleak feldom exceeds five or fix inches Descrip* in length : their body is (lender, greatly comprefT- ed fideways, not unlike that of the fprat.

The eyes are large : the irides of a pale yellow : the under jaw the longed : the lateral line crooked]: the gills filvery : the back green : the fides and belly filvery : the fins pellucid : the fcales fall off very eafily : the tail much forked.

During the month of July there appear in the White Thames, near Blackwatt and Greenwich, innumer- able multitudes of fmall fim, which are known to the Londoners by the name of White Bait. They are efteemed very delicious when fried with fine flour, and occafion, during the feafon, a vaft refort of the lower order of epicures to the taverns con- tiguous to the places they are taken at.

* Hijl. an. lib. VIII. c. 20. f Journey to Paris, 142.

B b 2 There

21* BLEAK. Class IV.

There are various conjectures about this fpecies, but all terminate in a fuppofition that they are the fry of fome fifh, but few agree to which kind they owe their origin. Some attribute it to the (had, others to the fprat, the fmelt, and the bleak. That they neither belong to the fhad, nor the fprat, is evident from the number of branchioftegous rays, which in thofe are eight, in this only three'. That they are not the young of fmelts is as clear, be- caufe they want the pinna adipofay or raylefs fin *, and that they are not the offspring of the bleak is extremely probable, fince we never heard of the white bait being found in any other river, not- withstanding the bleak is very common in feveral of the Britijh ftreams : but as the white bait bears a greater fimilarity to this fifh than to any other we have mentioned, we give it a place here as an ap- pendage to the bleak, rather than form a diftinct article of a fifh which it is impofllble to clafs with certainty.

It is evident that it is of the carp or Cyprinus genus : it has only three branchioftegous rays, and only one dorfal fin ; and in refpect to the form of »■ the body is compreffed like that of the bleak.

Its ufual length is two inches : the under jaw is the longed : the irides filvery, the pupil black : the dorfal fin is placed nearer to the head than to the tail, and confifts of about fourteen rays : the fide line is ftrait : the tail forked, the tips black.

The

Class IV.

M I N O W.

The head, fides, and belly are filvery ; the back tinged with green.

373

«&q|<v©-? Arift. Hift. an. VI.

c. 13. Le Veron. Belon, ,324. Pifciculus varius. Rondel. Jlu-

<viat. 205. Phofcium qui vulgo <veronus

(quafi varius) dicitur, Bel-

lonius. Ge/ner fife. 715. Elritze, Elderitze. Schone-

velde, 57. Pink, Minim, or Minow.

Wil. Icth. 268. Rati fyn. 177. Ml now,

pifc. 125. Cyprinus trida&ylus varius

oblongus teretiyfculus, pin- na ani officulorutn oclo.

Arted. Jynon. 12. Cyprinus Phoxinus. Cyp.

pinna ani radiis 8., macula.

fufca ad caudam, corpore

pellucido. Lin.j'yft. 528.

*TpHIS beautiful fim is frequent in many of our ■*■' fmall gravelly dreams, where they keep in fhoals.

The body is (lender and frnooth, the fcales being extremely fmall. It feldom exceeds three in- ches in length.

The lateral line is of a golden color : the back flat, and of a deep olive : the fides and belly vary greatly in different fifh ; in .a few are of a rich crimfon, in others bluifh, in others white. The tail is forked, and marked near the bafe with a dufky fpot,

Bb3

J{ino.Q

374

GOLD FISH. Class IV.

178. Gold- Kingo, the Gold Fi/h. K*m- tranfverfa bifurca. Lin.fyft.

en. pfer Hift. Japan, I. 137 525. Faun. Suec. tab 2.

Kin-yu. Du Halde Hiji, Grononj. Zoopb. No. 342,

China. I. 19. 315. Gold Fiih. £^w. 209.

Cyprinus auratus. Cyp. pin- Kin-yu, five carpio auratus,

na ani gemina, cauda Bajier fuhfec. II. 78.

THESE fifti are now quite" naturalized in this country, and breed as freely in the open waters as the common carp.

They were firft introduced into England about the year 1691, but were not generally known till 1 72 8, when a great number were brought over, and prefented firft to Sir Mathew Dekker, and by him circulated round the neighborhood of London, from whence they have been diftributed to mod parts of the country.

In China the mod beautiful kinds are taken in a fmall lake in the province of Che-Kyang. Every perfon of fafhion keeps them for amufement, either in porcellane vefTels, or in the fmall bafons that decorate the courts of the Chinefe houfes. The beauty of their colors, and their lively motions, give great entertainment, efpecially to the ladies, whofe pleafures, by reafon of the cruel policy of that country, are extremely limited.

In form of the body they bear a great refem- Wance to a carp. They have been known in this

ifland

Class IV. GOLDFISH. 375

ifland to arrive at the length of eight inches ; in their native place they are faid * to grow to the fize of our largeft herring.

The noftrils are tubular, and form fort of appen- dages above the nofe : the dorfal fin and the tail vary greatly in fhape : the tail is naturally bifid, but in many is trifid, and in fome even quadrifid : the anal fins are the ftrongeft characters of this fpe- cies, being placed not behind one another like thofe of other fifh, but oppofite each other like the ven- tral fins.

The colors vary greatly; fome are marked with a fine blue, with brown, with bright filver; but the general predominant color is gold of a moil amazing fplendor ; but their colors and form need not be dwelt on, fince thofe who want opportunity of feeing the living fifh, may furvey them exprefTed in the mod animated manner, in the works of our ingenious and honeft friend Mr. George Edwards.

Du Halde, 316,

Bb4 APPEN-

APPENDIX,

APPENDIX.

THE late Bifhop of Carlijle informed me Tortoise, that a tortoife was taken off the coaft of PAGE/* Scarborough in 1748 or 1749. It was pur- chafed by a family at that time there, and a good deal of company invited to partake of it. A gen- tleman, who was one of the guefts, told them it was a Mediterranean turtle, and not wholefome : only one of the company eat of it, and it almofc killed him, being feized with a dreadful vomiting and purging.

Since the printing of that article I have been fa- Toad, 13. vored with fome very curious accounts of this rep- tile, which will give greater light into its natural hiftory than I am capable of, from a mod unphi- lofophical but invincible averfion to the whole ge- nus. The facts that will appear in the following lines ferve to confirm my opinion of its being an innoxious animal, and, I hope, will ferve to free

numbers

s8o APPENDIX.

numbers from a panic that is carried to a degree of infelicity, and alfo to redeem it from a perfecution which the unmerited ill-opinion the world has con- ceived, perpetually expofes it to.

The gentlemen I am principally indebted to for my informations are J. Arfcott, Efq; of 'Tebott, in Dewnfhire> and Mr. Pitfield, of Exeter. Some of thefe accounts were addrefTed to Doctor Milles> Dean of Exeter ; others to the worthy Prelate above-mentioned, to whom I owe thefe and many other agreeable correfpondencies 5 others again to myfelf.

Mr. Arfcotfs letters give a very ample hiflory of the nature of the toad : they were both addrefTed to Doctor Milles, and both were the refult of cer- tain queries I propofed, which the former was fo obliging as to give himfelf the trouble of anfwering in a mod fatisfaclory manner.

I mail firft take the liberty of citing Mr. ArfcMt\ Jetter of September the 23d, 1768, which mentions fome very curious particulars of this innocent rep- tile, which, for fuch a number of years, found an afylum from the good fenfe of a family which foar- ed above all vulgar prejudices.

" It would give me the greater!: pleafure to be ?< able to inform you of any particulars worthy Mr. " Pennant's notice, concerning the toad who lived " fo many years with us, and was fo great a favo- <ft rite. The greateft curiofity in it was its becom- V ing fo remarkably tame. It had frequented fome

« ftepq

APPENDIX. 381

" fleps before the hall-door fome years before my " acquaintance commenced with it, and had been " admired by my father for its fize (which was of " the largeft I ever met with) who conftantly payed " it a vifit every evening. I knew it myfelf above " thirty years, and by conftantly feeding it, brought " it to be fo tame that it always came to the can- " die, and looked up as if expecting to be taken " up and brought upon the table, where I always " fed it with infects of all forts ; it was fondeft of " flefh maggots, which I kept in bran ; it would *c follow them, and when within a proper diftance, " would fix its eye, and remain motionlefs for near " a quarter of a minute, as if preparing for the '< ftroke, which was an inftantaneous throwing its " tongue at a great diftance upon the infect, which " ftuck to the tip by a glutinous matter : the mo* *c tion is quicker than the eye can follow*.

" I always imagined that the root of its tongue " was placed in the fore part of its under jaw, and " the tip towards its throat, by which the motion " muft be a half circle -, by which, when its tongue " recovered its fituation, the infect at the tip would " be brought to the place of deglutition. I was " confirmed in this by never obferving any internal u motion in its mouth, excepting one fwallow the " inftant its tongue returned. Poffibly I might be

* This rapid capture of its prey might give occafion to the report of its fafcinating powers, Linnaus fays, Infefta in fauces fafchio re-UQcat,

" miftaken

332 APPENDIX.

" miftaken, for I never difTected one, but content- " ed myfelf with opening its mouth, and (lightly *e infpe&ing it.

" You may imagine that a toad generally detefted cc (altho' one of the mod inoffenfive of all animals) " fo much taken notice of and befriended, excited " the curiofity of all comers to the houfe, who all " deli red to fee it fed, fo that even ladies fo far " conquered the horrors inftilled into them by ct nuries, as to defire to fee it. This produced in- " numerable and improbable reports, making it u as large as the crown of a hat, &c. &c. This I " hope will account for my not giving you parti- *6 culars more worth your notice. When I firft " read the account in the papers of toads fucking " cancerous breafls, I did not believe a word of it, " not thinking it poffible for them to fuck, having " no lips to embrace the parr, and a tongue fo " oddly formed ; but as the fact is thoroughly ve- " rified, I mod impatiently long to be fully in- " formed of all particulars relating to it,"

Notwkhftanding thefe accounts will ferve to point out fome errors I had adopted, in refpect to this reptile id my firit fheet, yet it is* with much plea- fure I lay before the public a more authentic hifto- ry, collected from Mr. Arfcotfs fecond favor ; the anfwer points out my queries, which it is needlefs to repeat.

tt&offi

APPENDIX. 383

Tebott, Nov. 1, 1768.

" In refpecl to the queries, I fliall here give the " mod fatisfaclory anfwers I am capable of.

" Firft, I cannot fay how long my father had " been acquainted with the toad before I knew it ; * but when I firft was acquainted with it, he nfed " to mention it as the old toad I've known fo many " years j I can anfwer for thirty- fix years.

" Secondly, No toads that I ever faw appear- " ed in the winter feafon. The old toad made " its appearance as foon as the warm weather came, " and I always concluded it retired to fome dry " bank to repofe till the fpring. When we new- " iay'd the fteps I had two holes made in the " third ftep on each, with a hollow of more than a " yard long for it, in which I imagine it flept, as " it came from thence at its firft appearance.

" Thirdly, It was feldom provoked : neither " that toad (nor the multitudes I have feen tor- " mented with great cruelty) ever fhewed the. left " defire of revenge, by lpitting or emitting any "juice from their pimples. Sometimes upon tak- " ing it up it would let out a great quantity of clear " water, which, as I have often ktn it do the fame " upon the fteps when quite quiet, was certainly its " urine, and no more than a natural evacuation.

" Fourthly, A toad has no particular enmity " for the fpider; he ufed to eat five or fix with his

millepedes (whkh I take to be its chief food) that

I generally provided for it, before I found out

" that

cc

384 APPENDIX.

" that flefh maggots, by their continual motion, " was the moft tempting bait ; but when offered it " eat blowing flies and humble bees that come from " the rat-tailed maggot in gutters, or in fhort any " infect that moved. I imagine if a bee was to be " put before a toad, it would certainly eat it to its " cofl ; but as bees are feldom ftirring at the fame " time that toads are, they can feldom come in " their way, as they feldom appear after fun-rifing, " or before fun-fet. In the heat of the day they " will come to the mouth of their hole, I believe, " for air. I once from my parlour window obferved " a large toad I had in the bank of a bowling- " green, about twelve at noon, a very hot day, ve- ct ry bufy and active upon the grafs; fo uncommon " an appearance made me go out to fee what it " was, when I found an innumerable fwarm of " winged ants had dropped round his hole, which " temptation was as irrefiftible as a turtle would " be to a luxurious alderman.

" Fifthly, Whether our toad ever propagated its " fpecies I know not, rather think not, as it al- " ways appeared well, and not leffened in bulk, " which it mufl have done, I mould think, if it " had difcharged fo large a quantity of fpawn as " toads generally do. The females that are to " propagate in the fpring, I imagine, in (lead of " retiring to dry holes, go into the bottom of " ponds, and lay torpid among the weeds j for to " niy great furprize in the middle of the winter,

2 having

APPENDIX. 385

" having for amufement put a long pole into my " pond, and twilled it till it had gathered a large " volume of weed, on taking it off 1 found many " toads, and having cut fome afunder with my " knife, by accident, to get off the weed, found " them full of fpawn not thoroughly formed. I " am not pofitive, but think there were a few " males in March: I know there are thirty males* " to one female, twelve or fourteen of whom I have " feen clinging round a female : I have often dif- " engaged her, and put her to a folitary male, to " fee with what eagernefs he would feize her. " They impregnate the fpawn as it is drawn 7 out in

" long

* Mr. John Hunter has affured me, that during his resi- dence at Belkijle, he differed fome hundreds of toads, yet never met with a^fmgle female among them.

f I was incredulous as to the objletrical offices of the male toad, but fince the end is fo well accounted for, and the fact eftablifhei by fuch good authority, belief mull take place.

Mr. Demours, in the Memoirs of the French Academy, as traiiflated by Dr. Templeman, <voL I. 371. has been very par- ticular in refpect to the male toad, as acting the part of an Accoucheur ; his account is curious, and clames a place here :

" In the evening of one of the long days in fummer, Mr. *' Demours being in the King's garden perceived two toads " coupled together -'at the edge of an hole, which was formed 4t in part by a great Hone at the top.

" Curiofity drew him td fee what was the occafion of the * ' motions he obferved, when two facts equally new furprized ** him ; the firji was the extreme difficulty the female had in M laying her eggs, infomuch that flie did not feem capable

Vol. III. C c " of

3*6 APPENDIX.

" long firings, like a necklace, many yards long, " not in a large qaantity of jelly, like frogs fpawn. " N. B. After having held a female fome time in " my hand, I have, to try if there was any fmell, " put my finger a foot under water to a male, " who has immediately feized it, and (luck to it as " firmly as if it was a female, ^ue're, Would they " feize a finger or rag that had touched a can- " cerous ulcer ?

" Sixthly,

** of being delivered of them without fome affiftance. The " fecond was, that the male was mounted on the back of " the female, and exerted all his ftrength with his hinder " feet in pulling out the eggs, whilH his fore-feet embraced " her breaft.

" In order to apprehend the manner of his working in the " delivery of the female, the reader muil obferve, that the " paws of thefe animals, as well thofe of the fore-feet as of ** the hinder, are divided into feveral toes, which can per- " form the office of fingers.

" It muil be femarked likewife, that the eggs of this fpe- '* cies of toads are included each in a membranous coat that " is very firm, in which is contained the embryo ; and that " thefe eggs, which are oblong and about two lines in " length, being fattened one to another by a ihort but very H ftrong cord, form a kind of chaplet, the beads of which " are dillant from each other about the half of their length. " It is by drawing this cord with his paw that the male '* performs the function of a midwife, and acquits himfelf " in it with a dexterity that one would not expect from fo " lumpilh an animal.

" The prefence of the obferver did not a little difcompofe "the male ; for fome time he Hopped ihort, and threw on

" the

APPENDIX. 387

" Sixthly, Infects being their food, I never faw '* any toad mew any liking or diflike to any plant*.

" Seventhly, I hardly remember any perfons ta- " king it up except my father and myfelf : I do " not know whether it had any particular attach- " ment to us.

" Eighthly, In refpect to its end, I anfwer this u laft qucre. Had it not been for a tame raven, I " make no doubt but it would have been now liv- " ing; who one day feeing it at the mouth of its " hole, pulled it out, and although I refcued ir, " pulled out one eye, and hurt it fo, that notwith- *? {landing its living a twelvemonth it never enjoyed

" itfflfi

" the curious impertinent a fixed look that marked his dif-

" quietnefs and fear; but he foon returned to his work with

" more precipitation than before, and a moment after he

" appeared undetermined whether he mould continue it or

" not. The female likewife difcovered her uneafinefs at the

«* fight of the ftranger, by motions that interrupted fome-

** times the male in his operation. At length, whether the

" filence and Heady poflure of the fpeclator had dimpated

" their fear, or that the cafe was urgent, the male relumed

" his work with the fame vigour, and fuccefsfully performed

" his function."

* This quellion arofe from an afTertion of Litmaus, that the toad delighted in filthy herbs. Deled at ur Cotula, Aclaa, Stachyde fcetidi. The unhappy deformity of the animal feems to be the only ground of this as well as another mifre- prefentation, of its conveying a poifon with its pimples, its touch, and even its breath. Verruca laclefcentes venenata infufc tacitly anhelitu,

CC 2

"388 APPENDIX.

" itfelf, and had a difficulty of taking its food, " miffing the mark for want of its eye : before " that accident had all the appearance of perfect " health."

What Mr. Thficld communicated to me ferves farther to evince the patient and pacific difpofition of this poor animal. If I am thought to dwell too long on the fubject, let it be confidered, that thofe who have moft unprovoked enemies, and feweft friends, clame the greateft pity, and warmeft vin- dication. This reptile has undergone all forts of fcandal $ one author makes it the companion of an atheift*; and Milton f makes the devil itfelf its inmate •, in a word, all kind of evil paffions have been bellowed on it: It is but juftice therefore to fay fomething in behalf of an animal that has of late had fo many trials of its temper, from expe- riments occafioned by the new difcovery of its cancer-fucking qualities. It has born all the han- dling, teizing, bagging, &c. &c. without the left fign of a vindictive difpofition -, but has even made itfelf a facrifice to the difcharge of its office : this I know from the refult of much enquiry -, would I could contradict what; is aflerted, of the inefficacy of the tryals made of them in the mod horrible of difeafes -, for at this time I myfelf cannot bring one proof of the fuccefs. But I would not have any

one

* A great toad was faid to have been found in the lodgings of Vanini^ at Touloufe% Vide John/oris Shakefpear, f Faradife LoJ}.

APPENDIX. 3S9

one difcouraged from the purfuit of the remedy. Heaven opens to us gradually its favors : the loadjlone was for ages a meer matter of ignorant amaze at its attractive qualities : mercury was a fuppofed poifon, and the terror of phyficians : we now wonder at the powers of electricity, and are dill but partially acquainted with its ufes : the toad, the object of horror even in the mod en- lightened times, is found to be perfectly innocent ; it has certainly contributed to the eafe (and as has been faid to the cure) of the unhappy cancered ; let the following facts fpeak for themfelves ; they come from perfons of undoubted veracity, and will fufficiently edablifh the truth of the beneficent qualities of this animal.

The firft paper relating to it is very ingeni- oufly drawn up by Mr. PitfieJd, for the informa- tion of Doctor Littleton, Bifhop of Carlifle (now happy) who immediately honored me with the copy.

Exon9 Augufi 29, 1768.

" Your lordfhip mud have taken notice of a cc paragraph in the papers, with regard to the ap- " plication of toads to a cancered bread. A pa- " tient of mine -has fent to the neighborhood of " Hunger ford, and brought down the very woman " on whom the cure was done. I have, with all " the attention I am capable of, attended the C c 3 " operation

390 APPENDIX.

*c operation for eighteen or twenty days, and am . . " furprized at the phenomenon. I am in no ex- " pectation of any great fervice from the applica- " tion : the age, conftitution, and thoroughly can- " cerous condition of the perfon, being uncon- " querable barriers to it. How an ail of that " kind, abfolutely local, in an otherwife found " habit, and of a likely age, might be relieved, I u cannot fay. But as to the operation, thus " much I can afTert, that there is neither pain nor ". naufeoufnefs in it. The animal is put into a " linen bag, all but its head, and that is held to " the part. It has generally inftantly laid hold of " the fouleft part of the fore, and fucked with " greedinefs until it dropped off dead. It has " frequently happened that the creature has fwolen " immenfdy, and from its agonies appeared to be " in great pain. I have weighed them for feveral " days together, before and after the application, " and found their increafe of weight,, in the dif- *c ferent degrees, from a drachm to near an ounce. " They frequently fweat exceedingly, and turn cc quite pale: fometimes they difgorge, recover, and 'c become lively again. I think the whole fcene " is furprifing, and a very remarkable piece of na- " tural hiftory. From the conftant inoffenfivenefs u which I have obferved in them, I almoft queflion u the truth of their poifonous fpitting. Many peo- " pie here expect no great good from the applica- ^6 tion of toads to cancers 5 and where the diforder

is

APPENDIX. 391

" is not abfolutely local, none is to be expected ; "where it is, and feated in any part, not to be " well come at for extirpation, I think it is hardly " to be imagined, but that the having it fucked. " clean as often as you pleafe, muft give great " relief. Every body knows, that dogs licking of " fores cures them, which is, I fuppofe, chiefly by " keeping them clean. If there is any credit to be " given to hiftory, poifons have been fucked out,

Palkntia Vulnera lambit

Ore Venena trahens.

" are the words of Lucan on the occafion : if the " people to whom thefe words are applied, did " their cure by immediately following the injection " of the poifon, the local confinement of another " poifon brings the cafe -to a great degree of fimi- " larky.

" I hope I have not tired your lordfhip with my " long tale, as it is a true one, and in my appre- " henfion a curious piece of natural hiftory, I could " not forbear communicating it to you. I own I "thought the ilory in the p.apers to be an inven- " tion, and when I confidered the inftinclive prin- " cipie in all animals of felf preiervation, I was " confirmed in my difbelief ; but what I have re- *' lated I faw, and all theory mud yield to fact. " It is only the Rubeta^ the land toad, which has " the property of fucking 5 I cannot find any the

C c 4 « left

392 A P P E N D I X.

" left mention of the property in any one of the old naturalifts. My patient can bear to have but one applied in twenty-four hours : the wo- man who was cured had them on day and nighr, without intermiffion, for five weeks. Their " time of h angina; at the bread has been from one " to fix hours."

The other is of a woman who made the ex- periment, which I give, as delivered to me from f* undoubted authority.

About fix years * ago a poor woman received a crufh on her breaft by the fall of a pail ; a com- plaint in that part was the refult.

Laft year her diforder increafed to an alarming degree j fhe had five wounds on her breafts, one exceeding large, from which fragments of bone worked out, giving her vaft pain-, and at the fame time there was 3, great difcharge of thin yellow matter : (he was likewife reduced to a meer fkele- ton.

AH her left fide and flomach was much fwel- led ; her fingers doughy and difcolored.

On the 25th of September, 1768, the firft toad was applied -, between that and the 29th fhe ufed feven, and had that night better reft. She fwal- lowed with greater eafe, for before that time there was fome appearance of tumor in her neck, and a difficulty of getting any thing down.

* f, e, from 1769,

Oftober

APPENDIX. 393

Oclober 16th, the patient better. It was thought proper as winter was coming on, and of courfe it would be very difficult to procure a number of toads, to apply more at a time, fo three were put on at once. The fwelling in the arm abated, and the woman's reft was good.

During thefe tryals lhe took an infufion of Wa- fer Parfnep with Pulvis CornacchinL

December 18th, continued to look ill, but finds herfelf better : two of the wounds were now healed.

She was always mod eafy when the toads were fucking, of which me killed vaft numbers in the operation.

January 1769. The lad account that was re- ceived, informing that the patient was better.

The remarks made on the animals are thefe :

Some toads died very foon after they had fuck- ed \ others lived about a quarter of an hour, but fome lived much longer: for example, one that was applied about feven o'clock fucked till ten, and died as foon as it was taken from the bread •, another that immediately fucceeded conti- nued till three o'clock, but dropped dead from the wound, each fwelled exceedingly, and turned of a pale color.

Thefe toads did not feem to fuck greedily, and would often turn their heads away; but during the time of fucking were heard to fmack their lips like a yoqng child.

As thofe reptiles are apt by their ftruggles to get

out

394

APPENDIX.

out of the bag, the open end ought to be made with an open hem, that the firing may run the more readily, and fatten tightly about the neck.

It would be improper to quit the fubjecl: with- out mentioning the origin of this flrange difco- very, which was owing to a woman near Hunger- ford, who labored under a cancerous complaint in her bread, which had long baffled all applica- tions.

The account me gives of the manner in which fhe came by her knowledge is fingular, and I may fay apocryphal. She fays of herfelf, that in the height of her diforder fhe went to fome church where there was a vaft crowd : on going into a pew, fhe was accofted by a flrange clergyman, who, after exprefflng companion for her fituation, told her that if fhe would make fuch an application of living toads * as abovementioned, fhe would be well.

This dark flory is all we can collect relating to the affair. It is our opinion that fhe Humbled up- on the difcovery by accident, and that having fet up for a cancer do&refs, fhe thought it necefTary to

* I have been told that fhe not only made ufe of living toads, but permitted the dead ones to remain at her breaft, by way of cataplafms, for fome weeks,

I have been informed that the relation of this flrange method of cure was brought over a few years ago by one of our foreign minifters ; and that there is alfo notice taken of it in Wheeler's Travels.

amufe

APPENDIX. 395

amufe the world with this myfterious relation*; For it feems very unaccountable, that this un- known gentleman fhould exprefs fo much ten- derneis for this fingle fufferer, and not feel any for the many thoufands that daily languifh under this terrible diforder: would he not have made ufe of this invaluable noftrum for his own emo- lument, or at left, by fome other means have found a method of making it public for the good of mankind ?

Here I take leave of the fubjecl, which I could not do without exprefiing my doubts, as to the method of the woman's obtaining her information ; but in refpect to the authenticity of this new- difcovered property of the toad, facts eftablifh it beyond difpute. Let the humane wifh for fpeedy proofs of the efficacy -, and for the fatisfaction of the world, let thofe who are capable of giving in- difputable proofs of the fuccefs, take the earlieft opportunity of making the public acquainted with fo interefting an affair.

' I have now given without alteration the whole ' of the facts as dated in my former edition. They * are too curious to be loft ; as they may ferve to

* Mr. Valentine Greatraks, who about the year 1664, per- fuaded himfelf that he could cure difeafes,- by ftroking them out "of the parts affected with his hand ; and the famous Bridget BoJlock> of Chejhire, who worked cures by virtue of her falling fpittle, both came by their art in a manner fu- pernatural, but by faith many were made whole.

% give

396 A P P E N D I X.

* give to after-times a proof of the belief of the c age, and the fair tryal made of a mod diftaft-

* ful remedy in the mod dreadful of complaints.'

Glain This reminds me of another Welch word that is

Naidr, 30. explanatory of the cuftoms of the antients, mewing their intent in the ufe of the plant Vervaine in their luftrations ; and why it was called by Diofco- rides Hierobotane, or the facred plant, and e- fleemed proper to be hung up in their rooms.

The BritiJJo name Cas gan Cythrawl, or the Devil's averfion, may be a modern appellation, but is likewife called T Dderwen fendigaid, the holy oak, which evidently refers to the Druids groves.

Pliny informs us, that the Gauls ufed it in their incantations, as the Romans and Greeks did in their luftrations. Terence, in his Andria, fhews us the Verbena was placed on altars before the doors of private houfes in Athens ; and from the fame paffage in Pliny *, we find the Magi were guilty of the mod extravagant fuperflition about this herb. Strange it is that fuch a veneration fhould arife for a plant endued with no perceptible quali- ties •, and ftranger dill it fhould fpread from the fartheft north to the boundaries of India. So ge- neral a confent, however, proves the cuftom arofe before the different nations had loft all communi- cation with each other.

* Lib. XXV. cap. 9.

Her

APPENDIX.

Her Grace the Dutchefs Dowager of Port- land did me the honor of communicating the following fpecies.

Thus is a new kind of Sucker found near Weymouth, which ought to be placed after No. 59. and may be called the

T

The body taper.

The pectoral fins placed unufually high. It has only one dorsal fin ^ placed low5 or near the tail.

The tail is even at the end.

The color of the head and body is of a fine pink : of the fins whitiih. On each fide of the engine of adherence on the belly, is a round black fpot.

It is figured in Plate XXII. of the natural fize,

Another will add a new genus to the Britifi fifh, being of that which Linnaus calls Ophidium. It muft find a place after the Launce, Sand Eel or AmmodyteS) under the trivial name of

297

HE head is flat and tumid on each fide. Bimacu.

LATED.

Be

APB-

39S APPENDIX,

Beardless. Ophidium imberbe. Lin. Syft. 431. Faun. Suec. No 319.

Ophidium fiavum et imberbe. Schonevelde> 53? Wil. Icth. 113. Rail fyn. fife. 39.

THIS was taken at the fame place with the former. I have not at this time had op- portunity of defcribing it, therefore am obliged to refer the reader to the writers above cited for the defcription.

No,

APPENDIX.

m-

No. II.

Of "the PROLIFICNESS of FISH.

Fifti. Weight. Weight of Spawn. Faecundity. Time,

oz. dr. grains.

203109. April 4. 3686760. Dec. 23. 1357400. March 14. g6g6o. Oct. 25. 546681. June 18. 28323. April 5. 49304. April 25. 81586. May 2. 38278. March 2i, 100362. June 13. 383252*. May 28.

Carp

25-

5-

2571-

Codfifli

12540.

Flounder

24.'

4.

2200.

Herring

5-

10.

480.

Mackrel

18.

0.

12234..

Perch

8.

9-

7t5i.

Pike

56.

4-

5100I.

Roach

10.

6f

361.

Smelt

2.

0.

I49i.

Sole

14.

8.

542i<

Tench

40.

0.

* Some part of the fpavvn of this fifh was by accident loft, fo that the account here is below the reality. Vide Phil, Tranf*

1767.

No.

4oa APPENDIX.

No. III.

Of the method of making ISINGLASS in ICELAND, from the SOUNDS of COD and LING.

THE founds of cod and iing bear general like- nefs to thofe of the Sturgeon kind of Lin- nans and Artedi, and are in general fo well known, as to require no particular defcription. The New- found land and Iceland fifhermen fplit open the filh as foon as taken, and throw the back-bones, with the founds annexed, in a heap-, but previous to putrefaction, the founds are cut out, wafhed from their (limes, and faked for ufe. In cutting out the founds, the parts between the ribs are left be- hind, which are much the beft ; the Iceland fifh- ermen are fo fenfible of this, that they beat the bones upon a block with a thick flick, till the Pockets, as they term them, come out eafily, and thus preferve the found entire. If the founds have been cured with fait, that muft be diffolved by ileeping them in water, before they are prepared for Ifwglafs. The frefh found mult then be laid upon a block of wood, whofe furface is a little elliptical, to the end of which a fmall hair brum is

nailed,

APPENDIX.

nailed, and with a faw-knife, the membranes on each fide of the found muft be fc raped off. The knife is rubbed upon the brum occafionally, to clear its teeth, the pockets are cut open with fcii- fars, and perfectly cleanfed of the mucous matter with a coarfe cloth : the founds are afterwards warned a few minutes in lime-water, in order to abforb their oily principle; and laftly, in clear water. They are then laid upon nets, to dry in the air ; but, if intended to refemble foreign IJin- glafs, the founds of cod will only admit of that called book, but thofe of ling both fhapes. The thicker the founds are, the better the Ifinglafs^ co- lor excepted •, but that is immaterial to the brew- er* who is its chief confumer.

40*

Vo*,. HI. D d No.

402

APPENDIX.

No. IV. CATALOGUE of the ANIMALS

DESCRIBED IN THIS VOLUME, WITH

their BRITISH NAMES. REPTILES.

i. CORIACEOUS

\-^ Tortoife,

Melwioges.

2. Common Frog,

Llyffant melyn.

g. Edible Frog,

Llyffant melyn cefn grwm.

4. Toad,

LlyfTant dn, Llyffant daf-

adenog.

5. Natter Jack.

6. Great Frog.

7. Scaly Lizard.

8. Warty Lizard,

Genau goeg ddafadenog.

9. Brown Lizard,

frech.

10. Little Lizard,

leiaf.

11. Anguine Lizard,

naredig.

12. Viper,

Neidr, Neidr du, Gwiber.

13. Snake,

Neidr fraith, Neidr y to-

menydd.

It is to Richard Morris , Efq.

that the public is indebted for

the Britijb names.

14. Aber-

APPENDIX.

14. Aberdeen Snake.

15. Blind- worm, or Slow-

worm, Pwl dall. Neidr y defaid.

403

F I

H.

16. /^Ommon Whale,

17. \~A Pike -headed

Morfil CyfTredin.

Whale,

Penhwyad.

18. Fin fifh,

Barfog.

19. Round-lipped Whale

, Trwngrwn.

20. Beaked Whale.

21. Blunt-headed Cachalot.

22. Round-headed,

Pengrwn.

23. High-finned,

Uchel aden.

24. Dolphin,

DohTyn.

25. Porpeffe,

Llamhydydd.

26. Grampus,

Morfochyn.'

27. Lamprey, Sea,

Llyfowen bendol, Llam-

prai.

28. Lefler Lamprey, '

Llepftg.

29. Pride.

30. Skate,

Cath for, morcath, Rhaicrl

31. Sharp-nofed Ray,

Morcath drwynfain.

32. Rough Ray.

33. Fuller Ray.

-

34. Shagreen Ray.

2$* Whip Ray.

Dd 2

36. Electric

404

APPENDIX.

$6. Electric Ray,

Swithbyfg.

37. Thornback,

Morcath bigog.

38. Sting Ray,

Morcath cefn.

39. Angel fifh,

Maelgi.

40. Picked Dog fifh,

Ci Pegod, Picewd.

41. Bafking Shark.

42. White Shark,

Morgi gwin.

43. Blue Shark,

Morgi glas, y Sierc.

44. Long-tailed Shark,

Llwynog mor.

45. Tope,

Ci glas.

46. Spotted Dog fifh,

Ci yfgarmes, morgi mawr.

47. LefTer Dog fifh.

48. Smooth Hound,

Ci Llyfn.

49. Porbeagle.

50. Beaumaris Shark.

51. Angler, common,

MorlyrTant.

52. Long Angler,

Morlyffant hir.

S$. Sturgeon,

Iftwrfion.

54. Oblong Diodon,

Heulbyfg.

55. Short Diodon.

56, Globe Diodon.

57. Lump Sucker,

Jar-for.

58. Unctuous Sucker,

Mor falwen.

59. Jura Sucker.

60. Longer Pipe fifh.

61. Shorter.

62. Little,

Mor Neidr.

63- Eel>

Llyfowen.

64. Conger,

Mor Llyfowen, Cyngyren.

65. Wolf

A P P E

66.

67. 68, 69. 70.

7*-

72.

73-

74- 75- 76.

77- 78.

79- 80.

81.

82.

84.

85. 86.

87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92.

Wolffifii,

Launce,

Morris,

Sword fifh,

Dragonet, gemmeous.

Dragonet, fordid.

Weever,

Great Weever.

Common Cod fifh,

Hadock,.

Whiting Pont,

Bib,

Poor,

Coal fifli,

Pollack,

Whiting,

Hake,

Forked Hake.

Left Hake.

Trifurcated Hake.

Ling,

Burbot,

Three bearded Cod.

Five bearded Cod.

Torfk.

Crefted Blenny.

Gattorngine.

Smooth Blenny,

D

N D I X.

Morflaidd.

Llamrhiaid, Pyfgod by- chain. Morys.

405

Cleddyfbyfo

Mor wiber, Pigyn aftrus.

Codfyn. Hadoc. Cod lwyd. Deillion. Cwdyn ebiill. Chwetlyn glas. Morlas.

Chwitlyn gwyn. Cegdclu,

Hones.

Llefen, Llefeaan.

d3

93, Spotted

4o6

APPENDIX.

93. Spotted Blenny.

94. Viviparous Blenny, gS> Black Goby.

96. Spotted Goby.

9 j. Bull Head, River,

98. Armed Bull Head,

99. Father Lafher.

100. Doree,

101. Opah.

102. Holibut,

103. Plaife,

104. Flounder,

105. Dab,

106. Smear Dab*

107. Sole,

108. Smooth Sole.

109. Turbot,

1 10. Pearl, in. Whiff. U2, Gilt Head,

113. Red Gilt Head,

114. Toothed Gilt Head.

115. Wraffe, antient, j 1 6. Ballan.

117. Bimaculated.

118. Trimaculated*

119. Striped.

Pentarw, Bawd y melinydd. Penbwl.

Sion dori.

Lleden ffreinig* Lleden frech. Lleden 'ddu. Lleden gennog, Lleden dwfr croyw.

Tafod yr hydd> Tafod yr ych.

Lleden chwith, Torbwt* Perl.

Peneuryn, Eurben. Brom y mor.

Qwrach.

J20. Gibbous*

120. 121. 122.

123.

I24.

I25. 126. I27. 128. I29.

130.

132. *33- *34-

*35-

136.

i37-

13S.

*39-

140.

141.

142.

144. 145-

Perc.

Draenog, Gannog.

APPENDIX.

Gibbous. Goldfinny. Comber. Cook.

Perch, common, Baffe, Sea Perch. ■ Ruffe.

Black Ruffe. Three fpined Stickle- back, Sil y dom, Pyfgod y gath, Ten fpined, Pigowgbyfg. Fifteen fpined, Silod y mor. Mackrel, common, Macrell. Tunny, Scad.

Red Surmullet, Striped Surmullet.

Penhaiarn llwyd, Penhai- ernyn.

Penhaiarn coch.

Pibyd.

Sapphirine Gurnard, Yfgyfarnog y mor. Streaked Gurnard.

Loche, bearded^ Crothell yr afon. Salmon, Gleifiedyn, Eog, Marah

'Taliefin, Grey, Penllwyd, Adfwlch.

Sea Trout,

D d 4 146. Trout,

407

Macrell Sopaen. Hyrddyn coch.

Grey Gurnard,

Red Gurnard, Piper,

4o8 A P P

146. Trout.

147. White Trout.

148. Samlet,

149. Charr,

150. Grayling,

tgu Smelt,

152. Gwiniad,

153. Pike,

154. Gar Pike,

155. Saury Pike.

156. Argentine.

157. Atherine.

158. Mullet,

159. Flying Fifh.

160. Herring,

161. Pilchard,

162. Sprat,

163. Anchovy.

164. Shad,

165. Carp,

1 66. Barbel,

167. Tench,

168. Gudgeon,,

169. Bream,

170. Rud,

171. Crucian.

172. Roach,

173. Dace,

E N D I X.

Brithyll.

Brith y gro. Torgoch.

Brithyll rheftrog, Qlafgan- gen.

Brwyniaid.

Gwiniedyn.

Penhwyad.

Mor nodwydd, Corn big.

Hyrddyn, Mingrwn,

Pennog, yfgaden. Pennog mair. Coeg Bennog.

Herlyn, Herling.

Carp, Cerpyn.

Barf byfg, y Barfog.

Gwrachen, Ifgretten.

Crothel.

Brem.

Rhuddgoch.

Rhyfell.

Darfen, Goknbyfg.

174. Graining.

APPENDIX.

174. Graining.

175. Chub,

176. Bleak,

177. Minow,

178. GoldFifh,

Penci, Cochgangen. Gorwynbyfg. Crothel y dom, Bychan byfc

409

APPENDIX.

579. Bimaculated Sucker. 180. BeardleTs Ophidium,

INDEX.

INDEX.

Page

ABDOMINAL fifli, I . 46,28*.

Adder, fea, - . . 123# Adder, vide Viper,

Adder-gems, their fuppofed virtues, - - 32.

A^wTrtf of Arijlotle, a fpecies of Shark, - no.

Anchovy, - - . 347,

Angel-fifh, - - - - 98.

» its flercene fs, -m no.

Angler, common, - I2o.

1 long? - - - 123.

Apicius, the chief of epicures, - - 272.

Apodal fiih, - - - ' ' j 44, 142.

'Ape, fea, - >. V - no.

Argentine, - 327,

Arijiophanesy his chorus of frogs, - - 1 1 ,

Afinius Celery the vaft price he gave for a Surmullet, 272.

AtHerine, - - - 328.

B.

412

INDEX.

Page

Mian, »..'■»*- 246.

Barbel, * . . 357.

•- . its roe noxious, - ,- - 358.

Balking Shark, the largefc fpecies, - - 101.

— — migratory, - - 102.

. yields great plenty of oil, * 104.

BafTe, - . - - - 257.

Bib, or Blinds, a kind of Cod filh, - 184.

Billets, young Coal filh, - - 187.

Birdbolt, - - - ■ 199.

Bifcayeners, early engaged in the whale fifhery, - 54.

Bleak, - 37°-

Blenny, the crefted, - 206.

. fmooth, - - - 208.

1 fpotted, - - - 210.

. ■ — ■ viviparous, - - - 211.

Blind-worm, or Slow-worm, - - 36.

.. a harmlefs ferpent, * - ibid.

Boat, the five-men, what, - - 235.

Bony filh, 42, 142.

Botargoy what, - - - 331.

Bottle-head, a fort of Wlaale, * - 59.

Branlines, midt Samlet.

Bream, » ' «* ...* :< ., * 362.

■■ fea, * , * - 242,

Bret, * . - - 233*

Britijb names, « - •■ 402.

Bufonites, what, - * - 16, 154.

Bulcard, - - . - * 208.

Bull-head, liver, *'.»•>■ 216.

_-, armed, ^ - - 217.

Bull-

INDEX. 413

Page

Bull-trout, - . - 296.

Burbot, - - - - 4 " 199.

Butterfifh, ... 210.

But, a name for the Flounder, - ' - 329,

Cachalot, genus of Whales producing fperma>ceti, 61.

— — — the blunt-headed, - - ibid.

— — round-headed, - - 63.

— — — high-finned, - - 64.

Cancers attempts to cure by the application of toads, 17.

Carp, .... 35>

its longevity, - - - 354.

— very tenacious of life, - - 35c. — - golden, .... 374, Cartilaginous fifh, their characters, - 41, 75. Cetaceous fifti, their characters, » 41,47. Char, - - - - 305* ~— - gilt and red, probably the fame £fh, - 308. Chub, - ' 368. Coal-fifh, - - - 186. Coble, a fort of boat, - - 235. Cod-fish, the common, - - 172. fifh affecting cold climates, - ibid,

.— vail filhery off New foundland, - 173.

— — — — very prolific, - - 177.

— « three bearded, - - 201.

> ■ live bearded, - h 202.

Conger, how differing from the eel, - 147.

— — -- an article of commerce in Cornwall, - 148.

Comber, - « * ■ 252.

Cook,

414 INDEX.

Page Cook, - 253.

Crucian, * - - 364,

D.

Dab, - 230*

— fmear, - ibid.

Dace, or Dare, - 366.

Digby, Sir Kenelm-, lingular experiment of, - 31.

Piodon, oblong, ... 129.

., fhort, - • - - - 131.

■■ globe, ... 132.

Dog-fifh, the picked, - - 100.

, greater, - - - 113.

\ lefTer, - - - 115.

Dolphin, - - - 65.

— . venerated by the ancients, - - 66.

— — — - falfely reprefented by painters, - 6j.

- a difh at great tables, . » - 62.

DOREE, - 221.

Dragonet, gemmeous, ... 264.

. — the fordid, - - 167.

Drizzles, what, - - - 198.

E.

Eel, common, will quit its element, * 142.

impatient of cold, - - - 143.

■ generation of, - - ibid*

•— - mod univerfal of fifh, * - 146.

■■ ii * defpifed by the Romans, * -* ibid.

Eel*

INDEX. 415

Page Eel-pout, - - - 199.

■ viviparous, - - - 211.

Eft, vide Lizard, Elvers, - - - - 14S.

Father-lamer, - - - 218.

Fin-filh, a fpecies of whale, - - 57.

Finfcale, vide rud.

Fire-flaire, vide fling-ray.

Fish, the fourth clafs of animals, - - 39.

Fifhir.g-frog, vide angler.

Flounder, r 226,

or fluke, - - 229.

Flying-fifh, - - - 333-

Forked beard, greater, - - - 193.

lefler, - - - 195,

Fox, fea, - - - ll0.

Frog, common, - - 9.

—— generation of the, - - 10.

periodical filence, - - it.

edible, 13.

— ■■ great, 20,

Garum, a fort of pfckle much efteemed byjthe antients, 265. Gattorugin, - - - 207.

Gilt-head, lunulated, or gilt-poll, - 240.

'■ red, * 242.'

' - toothed, «* 243.

Clain

4i 6

IN D E X.

Page Chin Neidr, in high efteem with the old Britons, 32. Gloucejier city> prefents the King annually with a lam- prey pye. 77. Goby, the black, - - - 213.

■ fpotted, « * - 215. Goldfifh, - - - 374. Goldfinny, - - - 251. Graining, - 367. Grampus, - - - - 72. Grayling, - - - - 311. Grey, - - - - 295. Grigs, - - - - 145. Groundling, vide Loche.

Gudgeon, - - - - 361.

•' — fea, ... - 213.

Guffer, - - *■ - 211.

Gurnard, grey, - 276.

— red, ... 278.

■ fapphirine, - * 280,

— — — ftreaked, - - - 281.

■ — yellow, vide Dragonet.

Gwiniad, - - - - 316.

H.

Hadock,

vaft fhoals of, -

faid to be the fifli out of whofe mouth St. Peter took the tribute-money

Hake,

lefTer, or forked-beard, left, or lefTer forked-beard, trifurca^d. - *

179. 181.

182. 191.

m*

1-95 .

196.

Henry

INDEX. 417

Page-

Henry I. killed by a furfeit of lampreys, - 77.

Herring, - 335.

■ its migrations, - - 336.

fiftiery, ... 34! .

Hierobotane, account of that plant, - - 396.

Hippo, the dolphin, of, - -. 66.

Holibut, its vail fize, - - 226.

■ voracioufnefs, - - 227. Hull, the town of, early in the whale fiftiery, -. 55.

I.

Icbtbyocolla, or Ifinglafs, - - 127.

method of making, - - 400.

Jugular fifh, - - 44, 164.

King-fifli, - - - - 223,

Kit, a fort of dab, - - - . 230,

L.

Lamprey, - 76.

not the murana of the antients, - 78.

its vaft tenacioufnefs, - - ibid.

the leffer, - - - 79'

Lampern, 'vide Pride.

Lantern-fifh, or fmooth fole, - - 232.

Launce, - J5^'

beardlefs, - - - 39s-

Vol. III. E e Ling,

418 I N D E X.

Page

Ling, - - - - 197.

a great article of commerce, - - ibid.

Lizard, fcaly, * - - 21.

warty," - - - 23.

' brown, - - 24.

little, - - - - 25.

• anguine, - - ibid.

< green, - 22.

1 a large k-ind, probably exotic, - ibid.

——— larves of lizards, moflly inhabitants of water, 24. Loche, bearded, - 282. — — - fea, - - - 201. Lump-nfh, or fucker, - - - 133. much admired by the Greenlanders, - 135.

M.

Mackrel, - 264.

■ horfe, - - -' 269.

Mafon, Mr. his fpirited tranflation of Pliny's account

of t\\Q vvum anguitium, - - - 32.

Miller's thumb, - - r 216.

Minow, - 373.

Morris, - 158.

Mulgranock, ... - 208.

Mullet, - - - 329.

the punifhment of adulterers, - 331.

Murana, not our lamprey, -. - - 78.

MutIxyitgc of Ariftotle, our whale, - - 50.

Muf cuius of Pliny i the fame, - - 52.

Myxine, - - 235.

N.

I N D E

N.

419

Page Natter-jack, a fpecies of toad, » - \g.

Newt, vide Lizard.

Newfoundland, its bank, - - m 173.

North-capers, fide Grampus.

O.

Ociher, an able navigator in K. Alfred's days, - 54.

Opah, - 223.

Otter-pike, or letter Weever, - - 171.

Ovum anguihum, a druidical bead, - - 32.

P.

Paddock-mcon, what, *- - - 12.

Parrs, or young coal-fifh, - - 187.

Pearl, - 23%.

Pearls, artificial, what made of, - - 371.

Perch, much admired by the antients, - 254.

— — - a crooked variety found in Wales, - 256.

■ fea, - - - 258.

Phyfeter, or blowing whale, - - 58.

Pike, - - - 320.

— its longevity, - - - 322.

— gar, or fea-needle, - 324. — — faury, - . 325. Pilchard, - - - - 343. • its important fifhery, - - 344.

E e 2 Pipe-

420 INDEX.

Page

Pipe-fish, longer, . 138.

" fhorter, - - 140.

little, or fea- adder, - - 141.

Piper, - 279.

Plaife, .... 228.

Pliny, his account of the Ovum anguinum, - 31.

Pogge, .... 217.

Pollack, the whiting, - - 188.

Poor, or power, a kind of codfifh, - - 185.

Porbeagle, a fpecies of lhark, - - 117.

Porpefe> - - - - 69.

a royal difh, - - - 71.

Pout, a fpecies of codfifh, - - 183.

•Pride, - - 80.

CL

Quin, Mr. the a&or, firft recommended the eating of

the Doree in England ', - - 22:

R,

Ray,

82.

— fnarp nofed,

S3.

rough,

85.

fuller,

86.

— fhagreen,

87.

■'< ' whip,

88.

~— electric, its numbing quality,

89.

— — fting,

95.

— - the Trygon of the antients,

ibid.

— — fables relating to it,

ibid.

Reptiles, the third clafs of animals,

1, 7«

Roach,

INDEX. 42t

Page

Roach, .... 365. Rockling, - - «. 201. Rud, - 363. Ruffe, - 259. ' the black, or black fifh of Mr, Jago, - 260.

Salmon, - - - 284.

leaps, - - - 286.

. fifhery, ... 287.

■ trout, vide bull-trout,

Samlet, * 303.

Sand-eel, vide LaunCe,

Scad, - - - - 269.

Schelly, vide Gwiniad.

Scombraria, an ifle, why fo called, - - 265.

Scorpion, fea, - - - 218.

Seneca, his account of the luxury of the Romans in refpeft

to fifh, _ _ - 272.

Serpent, - - 26.

— ringed, or fnake, - - 33.

■ Aberdeen, - - - 35. Shad, .... 348, Shake/pear, his fine comparifon of adverfity to a toad-

flone, - - '- 17.

Shark, - 98.

» picked, - 100.

■ bafking, - 101. — i __- its vaft fize, - - - 103.

white, its voracioufne fs, . - - 106.

blue, * 109*

■ long-tailed, - - - no. — — fpotted, - - - 113-

E c 3 Shark,

422 I N iD E X.

Page

Shark, lefler.fpotted, . . • 115.

fmooth, • . . 116.

1 Beaumares, . . . 118.

Skate, . . . . .82.

*—- its method of engendering, . . 83.

Slaw-worm, a harmlefs ferpent, - . . 36.

Smelt, , . - . 313^

Smear-dab, . . . 230.

Smooth-man, . . . 208.

ggail, fea, . . . . 135.

Snake, inoffenlive, , . . 34.

Sole, . . . . 231.

— — fmooth, . . . 232. Sparling, <vidt Smelt.

Sprat, » » , . , 346.

Spenna ceti, what, . . . 62. Sperma ceti, whale, vide Cachalot.

Stickle-back, three fpined, . . 262.

■ vaft fhoals in the Wetland', . ibid.

— ten fpined, . . 262. i fifteen fpined, . . 263,

Sting-ray, its dangerous fpine, . . 95.

Sturgeon, . . . 124.

Sucker, lump, . . . 133.

un&uous, ♦ . « 135.

— Jura, . , . 137.

bimaculated, „ . 397.

Sun filh, » 129.

Surmullet, the red, . . 272.

«__. extravagantly prized by the Romans, ibid,

j the flriped, . . 274.

Sword-fish, , . ♦ 160.

— manner of taking, < . 161.

fifhermen's fong previous to the capture, 162.

■ Xipbias of Ovid, , , ibid*

N D E X. 423

Page

Tench, . . . . 359.

the phyfician of the fifh, . . ibid.

Thoracic fifh, . . . 45, 213.

Thornback, . . . CJ3.

Threfher, its combat with the Grampus, - j 11.

Toad, its deformity, . , . 14.

ufed in incantations, . . 15.

■ • - its poifon a vulgar error, . . . 17.

. attempts to cure cancers by means of it, ibid,

• faid to be found in the midfi of trees and rocks, 18.

— . a farther account of this animal, . 379.

Toad-ftone, what, . . . 16.

Tomus Thurianus, what, . • 161.

Tope, . . . . in. yorgocb, <vide Charr.

Torfk, or Tufk, . . * 203.

Tortoise, coriaceous, . 7.

. farther account of, . . ^^.

Trout, . . . • 297.

— fea, . . . 296.

. crooked, . . . 299.

gillaroo, , . . 300.

> white, . . . 302.

Tub-fifh, .... 280.

Tunny, . . . 266.

— the fifhery very antient, . . 267-

. — taken notice of by Theocritus, .. . . ibid.

Turbot, .... 233.

fifhery, . . . 234.

Twaite, a variety cffhad, . . 351.

*

U.

424

I N

X.

XI.

Page

Ulyffes, faid to have been killed with the fpine of

the Trygon, or Sting-ray, « . 95.

V.

Viper, not prolific, •

■ its teeth, •

■ effects of the bite, and its cure,

" ufes, , •

— 1 — the black,

26.

27.

ibid*

27.

W.

Weever, . . ' .

■ its ftroke fuppofed to be poifonous,

the great,

Whale, the common,

vail fize, •

— . place,

— — fifhery,

■ the EngUJh engaged late in it,

* pike-headed, »

■ round-lipped, •

• beaked, . » Whalebone, what, . • Whiff, a fort of flounder, • White-bait, $ t . i

169. 170. 171. 50. ibid.

55-

54-

53- 56.

58. 59-

5>-

238.

Whiting,

INDEX.

Page

Whiting, . . • • 190.

Whiting-pout, . . • 183. WThiting-pollack, vide Pollack.

Whiftle-fifti, . • * 201.

White-horfe, . • • 86.

Wolf-fish, . . • 15^

, curious flruclure of its teeth, . 153.

Wtrasse, or old wife, . . . 244.

. — bimaculated, , . 247.

— trimaculated, . . » 248.

. ilriped, . . • 249.

gibbous, • • * 250.

THE END.

A.

Page 5, line 25, for Ceerulaa read Ccerulea. P. 6, 1. 8, for naturalifts read naturalift. - P. 8, I. 5, for twelve read eleven* P. 15, 1. 9, for horor read horror. Ibid. 1. 14, for intrails read entrails. P. 57, 1. 10, for penni- formi read pinniformi. P. 78, note, for tripatinam read tripatinum. Ibid, for appellabatur, fumma &c. read appellabatur fumma &c. P. 79, 1. 10, for Lampetra read Lampetrae. P. 85, 1. 17, for /hire of read fhire of Rofs. P. 86, 1. 16, for fpiney read fpiny. P. 87, 1. 9, ( and pajfim ) for encreafes read increafes. P. 89, 1. 18, for Kl read Hoci. P. 91, 1. I} for acknow- ledgements read acknowlegements. P. 98, ]. 21, for in read is. P. 105, 1. 29, fur fedement read fediment. P. 114, note, for 130 read 176. P. 329, 1. 16, for 0$fyayOgCT)t@- read ofyxyoftTK©-. P. 131, for Di adon read Diodon. P. 141, 1. 8, for ferpentinum read ferpentinus. P. 185, 1. 18, for nufance read nuifance. P. 204, 1. 1, for favoured read favored. P. 212, 1. 12, for reft read rays. P. 215, 1. 11, and 230, 1. 9, for fappharine read fapphirine. P. 216, 1. 3, for alepedotus read alepidotus. P. 217, 1. 16, for verrucofo read verrucis. Ibid. 1. 17. for bifidis read bifido. P. 239, 1. 3, for on the fide read on the left fide. P. 254, margin, for XXVI read XXVII. P. 273, note*, for p. 222 read 265. P. 276, 1. 10, for vario read varia. P. 281, 1. 24, for Mullis read MuIIus. P. 286, 1. 21, for Aberglajlyn read Aberglafyn. P. 288, 1. 29, for back, fin read back-fin. P. 295, 1. 1, for cinereous read cinereus. P. 329, 1. 12, for radiate read radiata. P. 353,1. 9, for Cyyrinus read Cyprinus. Ibid. 1. jo, for pinna read pinnae. Ibid. 1. 15, for 162 read 245. P. 355, k 18, for this read the. P. 387, 1. 28, forfatidi read fatida.

ADDITIONAL ERRATA,

Vol. I. P. [xxvi] i. 10, for two read three. Ibid. 1. 12, for three read two. P. 210, 1. 9, for frefh meat read frefh mice. P. 212, 1. 2, /or papw color read paler color. P. 217, 1. 26, a/>i«r middle feathers, add of the tail* P. 231, 1. 7, fl/hr prodigious height, add of the fingle {tones of. P. 311, 1. 14, after difle&ion, add in April. P. 350, 1. 23, yir rife, read rifing. P. 354, 1. ia, after Wood-lark, add and Tit- lark. P. 408, 1. 18, for Handing, read ftunted. P. 411, 1. 19, for nook read noon. Vol. III. ^* 359> !• a4' ./^r Mi* Diaper, read Mofes Browne.

CANCELS.

Vol. I. E 3 - - Pages $z, 54;

M3 - - *57, 158;

P 3 - - 205, 206.

0^4 - - - 223> 224-'

C c 3 • - 381, 382.

Vol. III. M6 - - I7X> *72-'

X 8 - - 3I(9> 32°-

Z 8 : - 35i» 352-

A a « 2 S 353, 354-'

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