part four. On the top of the head is a small spout-hole, furnished with

a valve, by which it can be closed at pleasure. A double row of pores extends beneath the body, from one extremity to the other, which on pressure exude a quantity of viscid fluid, which, when attacked by large fish, the Hag throws out, so as to cloud the surrounding element in such a manner as to render itself invisible to its assailants. “The habits of this fish are highly singular: it will enter the bodies of such fishes as it happens to find on the fishermen’s hooks, and which consequently have lost the power of escaping its attack; and gnawing its way through the skin, will devour all the internal parts, leaving only the bones and the skin. If put into a large vessel of sea-water, it is said in a very short space to render the whole water so glutinous that it may easily be drawn out in the form of threads.”

§ III. _Bony Fishes._

THE body of this fish is long, the head compressed, rounding off in front, without scales as far as the operculum. The mouth is small, the jaws of equal length, and furnished with small teeth; the palate has a curved row of similar teeth in front, and the tongue has teeth all along. The colour varies in several species. The Pilot-fish will frequently attend a ship during its course at sea for weeks, or even months together; and there are many curious stories told respecting its habits, in occasionally directing a shark where to find a good meal, and also in warning him how to avoid a dangerous bait. Whether this be true or not will be difficult to determine; but it is certain that this little fish is generally found in company with the shark, and picks up the smaller pieces of food which his predatory master drops, either by accident or design.

RESEMBLES the herring; its head is thick, naked, depressed, and marked on the upper side with a curious sucker composed of numerous transverse, movable, serrated plates. The fins are seven in number; the under jaw is longer than the upper, and both furnished with teeth. This fish is provided by nature with a strong adhesive power, and, by means of the grooved space on its head, can attach itself to any animal or body whatever. We might suppose that a small fish with seven acting fins, armed like a galley with oars, would have a great power of motion in the water, but, for some reason unknown to us, Providence has contrived for him an easier way of travelling, by enabling him to fix himself to the hull of a ship, and even to the body of a larger animal than himself, as the whale, the shark, and others. Our forefathers believed that, small as he is, this fish had the power of arresting the progress of a ship in its fastest sailing by adhering to the bottom.

“The Sucking-fish beneath, with secret chains, Clung to the keel, the swiftest ship detains. The seamen run confused, no labour spared, Let fly the sheets, and hoist the topmast yard. The master bids them give her all the sails, To court the winds and catch the coming gales. But, though the canvas bellies with the blast, And boisterous winds bend down the cracking mast, The bark stands firmly rooted in the sea, And will, unmoved, nor winds nor waves obey: Still, as when calms have flatted all the plain, And infant waves scarce wrinkle on the main. No ship in harbour moor’d so careless rides, When ruffling waters tell the flowing tides; Appall’d, the sailors stare, through strange surprise, Believe they dream, and rub their waking eyes.”

IS often caught in the European seas; and is about five or six feet in length, and has a larger and flatter head than the shark. The back, sides, and fins are of a bluish colour; the body is nearly white; the whole skin is smooth and slippery, without any appearance of scales. It is of a very voracious nature, and has a double row of sharp and round teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. Its appetite, however, does not lead it to destroy fishes similar in shape to itself, as it is supposed to feed chiefly on crustaceous and molluscous animals, whose shells it breaks easily with its teeth. It is sometimes found in the northern seas exceeding twelve feet in length, and owes its name to its natural fierceness and voracity. The fishermen dread its bite, and endeavour as speedily as possible to strike out its fore-teeth, which are so strong, that they are capable of leaving an impression on an anchor. The fins nearest the head spread themselves, when the animal is swimming, in the shape of two large fans, and their motion contributes considerably to accelerate its natural swiftness. The flesh is good, and as it bears salting well it is an important article of food to the Icelanders, in whose seas this fish occurs in great abundance and of large size.

GROWS to a large size, weighing sometimes three hundred pounds, and measuring eight to ten feet in length, and two in breadth. It has a broad, flat, thin head; and the horns, which are on each side of the upper lip, are armed with short crooked spines, like teeth. A remarkable peculiarity in this fish is the dorsal fin, which is close to the head, and is long, stiff, dentated like the horns, and is, no doubt, an instrument of defence. In colour it resembles the eel, and has no scales; only one small fin on the back, and a forked tail; its flesh is esteemed next to that of the eel, and has a similar flavour. This fish is a great depredator, and makes considerable havoc among the smaller inhabitants of the rivers and lakes which it inhabits. It is a native of the fresh waters of Asia. The Danube, and several other rivers of Germany, and the lakes of Switzerland and Bavaria contain numerous specimens of Silurus.

THE whimsical denomination of Father Lasher, given to this fish, cannot be easily accounted for; perhaps it may be ascribable to the quick and repeated lashings of its tail, when the fish is caught and thrown upon the sand. The length is about eight or nine inches, and it is usually found under stones, on the rocky coasts of our island. In Greenland these fish are so numerous, that the inhabitants depend largely upon them for their food. When made into soup, they are nutritive and wholesome. The head is large, and armed with spines, by which this fish combats every enemy that attacks it, swelling out its cheeks and gill-covers to an unusual size. Its colour is a dull brown, mottled with white, and sometimes mixed with red; the fins and tail are transparent, and the lower part of the body a shining white.

WHICH belongs to the mackerel family, has received its name from its long snout resembling the blade of a sword. It sometimes weighs above one hundred pounds, and is fifteen or even twenty feet in length. The body is of a conical form, black on the back, white under the body; the mouth large, with no teeth; the tail is remarkably forked. The Sword-fish is often taken off the coast of Italy, in the Bay of Naples, and about Sicily. They are struck at by the fishermen, and their flesh is considered as good as that of the sturgeon by the Sicilians, who seem to be particularly fond of it. Other European seas are not destitute of this curious animal.

The Sword-fish and the whale are said never to meet without coming to battle; and the former has the reputation of being always the aggressor. Sometimes two Sword-fishes join against one whale; in which case the combat is by no means equal. The whale uses his tail in his defence; he dives deeply into the water, head foremost, and makes such a blow with his tail, that, should it take effect, it kills the Sword-fish at a single stroke; but the latter is in general sufficiently adroit to avoid it, and immediately rushes at the whale, and buries its weapon in his side. When the whale discovers the Sword-fish darting upon him, he dives to the bottom, but is closely pursued by his antagonist, who compels him again to rise to the surface. The battle then begins afresh, and lasts until the Sword-fish loses sight of the whale, who is at length compelled to swim off, which his superior agility enables him to do. In piercing the whale’s body with the tremendous weapon at his snout, the Sword-fish seldom inflicts a dangerous wound, not being able to penetrate beyond the blubber. This animal can drive its sword with such force into the keel of a ship, as to bury it wholly in the timber. A part of the bottom of a vessel, with the sword imbedded in it, is to be seen in the British Museum.

HOW admirable is Nature! how extensive her power and how various the forms with which she has surrounded the united elements of animated matter! From the uncouth shape of the wallowing whale, of the unwieldy hippopotamus, or ponderous elephant, to the light and elegant form of the painted moth or fluttering humming-bird, she seems to have exhausted all ideas, all conceptions, and not to have left a single figure untried. The fish represented above is one of those, in the outlines and decorations of which appear the discordant qualities of frightfulness and beauty. Armed _cap-à-pie_, surrounded with spines and thorns bristling on his back, and fins like an armed phalanx of lance-bearers, and decorated on the body with yellow ribands, interwoven with white fillets, and on the purple fins of his breast with the milky dots of the pintado, the Sea Scorpion presents a very extraordinary contrast. His eyes, like those of which poets sang when celebrating the Nereids and Naiads, consist of black pupils, surrounded with a silver iris, radiated with alternate divisions of blue and black. The rays of the dorsal fin are spiny, spotted brown and yellow, conjoined below by a dark brown membrane, and separate above; the ventral fins are violet with white drops, and the tail and anal fins are a sort of tesselated work of blue, black, and white, united with the greatest symmetry, and not unlike those ancient fragments of Roman pavements often found in this island.

This variegated fish is found in the rivers of Amboyna and Japan; its flesh is white, firm, and well tasting, like our perch, but it does not grow so large; it is of a very voracious disposition, feeding on the young of other fish, some of which, two inches in length, have been found in its craw. The skin has both the appearance and smoothness of parchment. To the tremendous armour of its back, fins, and tail, this fish owes the name of Scorpion.

THIS odd-shaped fish derives its name chiefly from the clumsiness of its form; it is also called the Cock Paddle. Its colour, when in the highest perfection, combines various shades of blue, purple, and rich orange; the abdomen is red; it has no scales, but on all sides sharp black tubercles, in shape like warts; on each side are three rows of sharp prickles, and on the back two distinct fins. The great resort of this species is in the Northern seas, about the coast of Greenland; it is also caught in many parts of the British seas during the spring season, when it approaches the shore for the purpose of depositing its spawn; and in the month of March it may be seen at the stalls of the London markets. This unseemly fish is usually about a foot in length, and ten or more inches in breadth, and sometimes weighs seven pounds. The flesh is but indifferent.

The Lump-sucker is very remarkable for the manner in which its ventral fins are arranged. They are united by a membrane so as to form a kind of oval and concave disc, by means of which it is enabled to adhere with great force to any substance to which it fastens itself. Pennant says, that, on throwing an individual of this species into a pail of water, it adhered so firmly to the bottom that, on taking the fish by the tail, the whole pail was lifted up, though it held some gallons.

In the Northern seas great numbers of the different species of Lump-suckers are devoured by the seals, who swallow all but the skins, quantities of which thus emptied are seen floating about in the spring months; it is said that the spots where the seals carry on their depredations can be readily distinguished by the smoothness of the water.

ANOTHER Malacopterygious fish, a relative of the Lump-sucker, and chiefly remarkable for the singular appendage observable on its head. It possesses similar tenacity of suction. The utility of this faculty to animals inhabiting the rocky shores and turbulent seas of Greenland is sufficiently obvious.

THIS extraordinary fish is occasionally met with on our coasts, and is commonly known by the names of the Fishing Frog, Toad Fish, and Sea Devil. In shape it is the most uncouth and unsightly of the piscatory tribe, resembling the frog in its tadpole state. It grows to a large size. A specimen taken in the sea, near Scarborough, was between four and five feet in length, the head considerably larger than the body, round at the circumference, flat above; the mouth is of a prodigious size, being a yard in width, and armed with sharp teeth. It lives, as it were, in ambush at the bottom of the sea, and by means of its fins stirs up the mud and sand, so as to conceal itself from other fishes on whom it preys. The manner in which it procures its prey is very extraordinary, the peculiarity of its construction forbidding the possibility of rapid movement. Two long tough filaments are placed above the nose, each of them furnished with a thin appendage, closely resembling a fishing-line when baited and flung out. The back is provided with three others, united by a web, and forming the first dorsal fin. Pliny notices these remarkable appendages, and explains their use. “The Fishing Frog,” says he, “puts forth the slender horns situated beneath his eyes, enticing by that means the little fish to play around till they come within his reach, when he springs upon them.” But it is not only the lesser inhabitants of the water that the Angler ensnares! Codfish of good size are often found in his stomach, and he occasionally seizes upon fishes as they are being drawn up by the line. Mr. Yarrell mentions an instance of an Angler attacking a conger-eel under these circumstances: the eel wriggled through the branchial aperture of his captor, and both were drawn up together.

Cicero also notices this extraordinary creature, in his Treatise on the Nature of the Gods. He observed its wonderful construction when musing on the shores of Sicily.

THESE singular fishes are distinguished from most others by the bony covering which envelopes them. The head and body are covered with plates of bone, forming an inflexible cuirass, and leaving exposed only the tail, fins, mouth, and a portion of the gill opening. They have no ventral fins, and the dorsal and anal are placed far back. Their liver is large, and abounds with oil. The Trunk-fish is a native of the Indian and American seas. Some of the species are considered excellent eating.

IS an oblong fish, inhabiting the seas of Carolina, and endowed with an extraordinary power of swelling its under surface into a large globe. This sudden enlargement not only alarms the enemies of the Tetrodon, but prevents them from making good their hold, by presenting to their grasp little more than an inflated bag. It is also covered with spines, which merely adhere to the skin, and are capable of being erected on any sudden emergency; thus giving to an innocent and defenceless creature a most formidable appearance.

When inflated, they roll over on their backs, floating in this position, without any power of directing their course. Some species are reckoned poisonous. One is electrical, (_Tetraodon lineatus_,) and is found in the Nile; when left on shore by the inundations, it always inflates its body, becomes dried in this condition, and is then picked up by the children, and used as a ball.

APPEARS like the fore part of the body of a large fish, which has been amputated in the middle. The mouth is small, with two broad teeth only in each jaw. Its nearly circular form, and the silvery whiteness of the sides, together with their brilliant phosphorescence during the night, have obtained for it very generally the appellations of sun or moon fish. While swimming, it turns round like a wheel, and sometimes floats with its head above water, when it appears like a dying fish. It grows to a large size; sometimes being four or five feet in length, and weighing from three to five hundred pounds. The back of this curious marine animal is of a rich blue colour. It frequents the coasts of both the ancient and new continent, and has been found on the shores of England.

THIS is a small fish, of a curious shape. The length is from six to ten, and sometimes twelve, inches; the head bears some resemblance to that of a horse, whence originates its name. A series of longitudinal and transverse ridges run from the head to the tail, which is spirally curved and prehensile.

The following account of two specimens taken alive at Guernsey, in June, 1835, by F. C. Lukis, Esq., is extracted from Yarrell’s “British Fishes.” These creatures were kept about twelve days in a glass vessel, and their actions were equally novel and amusing. “An appearance of search for a resting-place induced me,” says Mr. Lukis, “to consult their wishes, by placing seaweed and straws in the vessel: the desired effect was obtained, and has afforded me much to reflect upon in their habits. They now exhibit many of their peculiarities, and few subjects of the deep have displayed, _in prison_, more sport or more intelligence.

“When swimming about, they maintain a vertical position; but the tail is ready to grasp whatever meets it in the water, quickly entwines in any direction round the weeds, and, when fixed, the animal intently watches the surrounding objects, and darts at its prey with the greatest dexterity.

“When the animals approach each other, they often twist their tails together, and struggle to separate or attach themselves to the weeds: this is done by the under part of their cheeks or chin, which is also used for raising the body when a new spot is wanted for the tail to entwine afresh. The eyes move independently of each other, as in the chameleon, and this, with the brilliant changeable iridescence about the head, and its blue bands, forcibly reminds the observer of that animal.”

THIS fish has a slender body, a projecting under-lip, and very large and prominent eyes. The ventral fins are small, but the pectoral fins are so long and wide as to answer the purpose of wings, and aided by them the fish is enabled to rise out of the water, and support itself in the air. It must not be supposed, however, that the Flying-fish can soar like a bird; on the contrary, it can only spring from the water to a considerable height (sometimes as much as twenty feet), and fly about a hundred and fifty, or two hundred yards; most commonly, however, it does not rise above two or three feet from the water, and remains fluttering over the surface for about a hundred yards, when it again drops into its native element. There is another Flying-fish (_Exocætus exiliens_) in the Mediterranean.

THIS genus is divided into several species. The Red Gurnard has fins and body of a bright red colour; and the head is large, and covered with strong bony plates. The eyes are large, round, and vertical; the mouth is large; and the palate and jaws are armed with sharp teeth. The gill-membrane has seven rays. The back has a longitudinal spinous groove on each side. There are slender articulate appendages at the base of each pectoral fin. This fish is not unfrequently met with on the southern shores of England; and is often seen exposed in the fish-markets of the maritime towns of Dorset and Devonshire, as well as in Cornwall. It is a pleasant-tasting fish, when properly stuffed and baked, the flavour being similar to that of the haddock.

Whilst in the water, the colours of the Red Gurnard are almost inconceivably brilliant and beautiful, particularly in the broad glare of sunshine, as they then vary, in the most pleasing manner, with every motion of the fish.

The Grey Gurnard (_Trigla gurnardus_) usually measures from one to two feet in length. The extremity of the head, in front, is armed on each side with three short spines. The forehead and the covers of the gills are silvery; the latter being finely radiated. The body is covered with small scales; the upper parts are of a deep grey, spotted with white and yellow, and sometimes with black; and the lower parts silvery. About the months of May and June, the Grey Gurnards approach the shores in considerable shoals, for the purpose of depositing their spawn in the shallows; at other times they reside in the depths of the ocean, where they have a plentiful supply of food in crabs, lobsters, and other shell-fish, on which it is supposed they for the most part feed. They are occasionally found on the shores of Great Britain and Ireland, in the spawning season.

The _Lucerna_ is caught in the Mediterranean Sea, and is of a very curious shape; its fins about the gills being so large, and spreading so much like a fan on each side, that they appear somewhat like wings. The tail is bifid, and the scales very small. The flesh is esteemed among the Italians, and the Lucerna is often seen in the fish-markets of Naples, Venice, and other towns on the sea-shore. This fish much resembles the Father Lasher and the Gurnard; and it is called Lucerna because it shines in the dark.

The Flying Gurnard (_Dactyloptera Mediterranea_), which is the commonest flying-fish of the Mediterranean Sea, is about a foot long; it is brown above, reddish below, and has blackish fins spotted with blue. The pectoral fins with which it supports itself in the air are of immense extent. On each operculum there is a long and pointed spine, with which the fish can inflict severe wounds.

IT would be an inexcusable neglect to pass this fish unnoticed, not on account of its disputing with the haddock the honour of having been pressed by the fingers of the apostle, nor of its having been trodden upon by the gigantic foot of St. Christopher, when he carried on his shoulders a divine burden across an arm of the sea, but for the excellence of its flesh. It has been for some years in such favour with our epicures, that one of them, a comedian of high repute (Quin), took a journey to Plymouth merely to eat this fish in perfection. Its body presents the shape of a rhomboid, but the sides are much compressed; the mouth is large, and the snout long, composed of several cartilaginous plates, which wrap and fold one over another, in order to enable the fish to catch its prey. The colour is a dark green, marked with black spots, with a golden gloss, whence the name originated. They inhabit the coasts of England, and particularly Torbay, whence they are sent to the fish-markets of London.

When the Dory is taken alive out of the water, it is able to compress its internal organs so rapidly that the air, in rushing through the openings of the gills, produces a kind of noise somewhat like that which, on similar occasions, is emitted by the gurnards.

THIS species of the Dory is of a bright silver colour, with a cast of bluish-green on the back. Several of the last rays, both of the dorsal and anal fin, extend beyond the membrane, reaching even farther than the tail itself. It has been supposed that the smaller kind of fishes may be attracted with these long flexible filaments, and mistake them for worms, while the Zeus, concealed among the sea-weeds, lies in wait for its prey. It is a native of the Indian seas.

THE OPAH, OR KING FISH. (_Lampris guttatus._)

THIS is a most splendid fish, of a fine green colour on the back, and yellowish green on the belly. The back and sides exhibit brilliant purplish and golden tints, the whole surface is covered with numerous white spots, and the fins are of a beautiful vermilion colour; so magnificent is its costume, that it has been justly remarked that it looks “like one of Neptune’s lords dressed for a court day.” The King Fish is found apparently in the seas of all parts of the world; it is nowhere common, but seems to be more abundant in warm climates.

IS a noble inhabitant of the seas; not only on account of its size, but also for the goodness of its flesh, either fresh or salted. The body measures sometimes above three, and even four feet in length, with a proportionable thickness. The back is of a brown olive colour, with white spots on the sides, and the lower part of the body is entirely white. The eyes are large and staring. The head is broad and fleshy, and esteemed a delicious dish.

The fecundity of all fishes must be an object of the greatest astonishment to every observer of nature. In the year 1790, a Cod-fish was sold in Workington market, Cumberland, for one shilling: it weighed fifteen pounds, and measured two feet nine inches in length, and seven inches in breadth: the roe weighed two pounds ten ounces, one grain of which contained three hundred and twenty eggs. The whole, therefore, might contain, by fair estimation, three million nine hundred and four thousand four hundred and forty eggs. From such a trifle as this we may observe the prodigious value of the fishing trade to a commercial nation, and hence draw a useful hint for increasing it; for, supposing that each of the above eggs should arrive at the same perfection and size, its produce would weigh twenty-six thousand one hundred and twenty-three tons; and consequently would load two hundred and sixty-one sail of ships, each of one hundred tons burden. If each fish were brought to market, and sold as the original one, for one shilling, the produce then would be one hundred and ninety-five thousand pounds; that is to say, the first shilling would produce twenty times one hundred and ninety-five thousand, or three million nine hundred thousand shillings.

In the European seas, the Cod begins to spawn in January, and deposits its eggs in rough ground among rocks. Some continue in roe until the beginning of April. Cod-fish are reckoned best for the table from October to Christmas. The air-bladders, under the name of sounds, are pickled, and sold separately.

The chief fisheries for Cod are in the Bay of Canada, on the great bank of Newfoundland, and off the isle of St. Peter, and the isle of Sable. The vessels frequenting these fisheries are from a hundred to two hundred tons burden, and will each catch thirty thousand Cod, or more. The best season is from the beginning of February to the end of April. Each fisherman takes only one Cod at a time, and yet the more experienced will catch from three to four hundred in a day. It is a fatiguing work, owing particularly to the intense cold they are obliged to suffer during the operation.

Cod frequently grow to a very great size. The largest that is known to have been caught in this kingdom was taken at Scarborough, in the year 1775; it measured five feet eight inches in length, and five feet in circumference, and weighed seventy-eight pounds. The usual weight of this fish is from fourteen to forty pounds.

IS much less in size than the cod-fish, and differs somewhat from it in shape; it is of a bluish colour on the back, with small scales; a black line is carried on from the upper corner of the gills on both sides down to the tail; in the middle of the sides, under the line a littlebeneath the gills, is a black spot on each shoulder, which resembles the mark of a man’s finger and thumb; from which circumstance it is called _St. Peter’s_ fish, alluding to the fact recorded in the seventeenth chapter of St. Matthew: “Go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money; that take, and give unto them for me and thee.” And while St. Peter held the fish with his fore-finger and thumb, it is fabled, that the skin received, and preserved to this day, the hereditary impression.

Haddocks migrate in immense shoals, which usually arrive on the Yorkshire coast about the middle of winter. These shoals are sometimes known to extend from the shore nearly three miles in breadth, and in length from Flamborough Head to Tynemouth Castle, a distance of fifty miles; and, perhaps, even farther. An idea of the number of Haddocks may be formed from the following circumstance: three fishermen, within a mile of the harbour of Scarborough, frequently loaded their boat with these fish twice a day, taking each time a ton weight of them!

The flesh of the Haddock is harder and thicker than that of the whiting, and not so good; but it is often brought upon the table, either broiled, boiled, or baked, and is by many much esteemed. The Haddocks caught on the Irish coast, near Dublin, are unusually large, and of a fine flavour, and unite to the firmness of the turbot much of its sweetness. They are in season from October to January.

IS seldom more than twelve inches in length, and of a slender and tapering form. The scales are small and fine. The back is silvery, and when just taken out of the sea reflects the rays of light with great lustre and gloss. The flesh is light, wholesome, and nourishing; and is often recommended to sick or convalescent patients, when other food is not approved of. The Whiting is found on the coasts of England, and is in its proper season from August to February.

IS usually from three to four feet in length, though some have been caught much larger. The body is long, the head flat, the teeth in the upper jaw small and numerous, with a small beard on the chin; its dorsal and anal fins are very long.

These fish abound on the coasts of Great Britain and Ireland, and great quantities are salted for home consumption and exportation. On the eastern coasts of England they are in their greatest perfection from the beginning of February to the end of May. They spawn in June: at this season, the males separate from the females, who deposit their eggs in the soft oozy ground at the mouth of large rivers.

In a commercial point of view, the Ling may be considered a very important fish. Nine hundred thousand pounds weight are annually exported from Norway. In England, these fish are caught and cured in somewhat the same manner as the cod. Those which are caught off the shores of America are by no means so much esteemed as those which frequent the coasts of Great Britain and Norway; and the Ling in the neighbourhood of Iceland are so bad, that the inhabitants are unable to find a sale for them in any country except their own. The roe and air-bladders, or sounds of the Ling, are pickled, and sold separately.

IS a coarse fish, nearly allied to the Ling, and is caught in great abundance on the Devonshire and Cornwall coast. It is also found on the coasts of Ireland and Scotland, where it is called stock-fish, and is often confounded with cod.

IS taken and well known in all parts of the world. It is usually about a foot or more in length; the body is thick, firm, and fleshy, slender towards the tail; the snout sharp, the tail forked, the back of a lovely green, beautifully variegated, or, as it were, painted with black strokes; the under part of the body is of a silvery colour, reflecting, as well as the sides, the most elegant tints of the opal and the mother-of-pearl. Nothing can be more interesting and pleasing to the eye than to see Mackerel, just caught, brought on shore by the fishermen, and spread, with all their radiancy, upon the pebbles of the beach, at the first rays of the rising sun; but when taken out of their element, they quickly die.

Mackerel visit our shores in vast shoals; but, from being very tender and unfit for long carriage, they are found less useful than other gregarious fish. The usual bait is a bit of red cloth, or a piece of the tail of the Mackerel. The great fishery for them is in some parts of the south and west coasts of England: this is of such an extent as to employ, in the whole, a capital of nearly two hundred thousand pounds. The fishermen go out to the distance of several leagues from the shore, and stretch their nets, which are sometimes miles in extent, across the tide during the night. A single boat has been known to bring in, after one night’s fishing, a cargo that has been sold for nearly seventy pounds. The roes of the Mackerel are used in the Mediterranean for _caviar_. In Cornwall, and also in several parts of the continent, Mackerel are preserved by pickling and salting; and in this state possess a flavour somewhat like that of the salmon. Their voracity has scarcely any bounds; and when they get among a shoal of herrings, they will make such havoc as frequently to drive it away. Mackerel are in season from March to June.

OF which the figure above is an exact representation, is of a very extraordinary form. The body, in shape and colour, is not unlike that of a mackerel, but is much more elongated, and the jaws are protracted into a kind of lance, nearly half as long as the rest of the body. It is vulgarly supposed that this fish leads the phalanxes of mackerel through the regions of the deep; and, like a faithful and experienced pilot, traces their journey, points out their dangers, and conducts them to their destination. A curious singularity of this creature is, that its bones are of a bright green colour; the flesh is not so firm nor of so good a flavour as that of the mackerel, but it sells pretty well whenever it comes to market.

THIS fish is somewhat like the mackerel in shape, as well as in delicacy of taste, although it differs much in flavour. It is about nine or ten inches long, and about two and a half broad, and has blood-shot eyes; the scales large and roundish; the tail forked; the body of a fat, soft, delicate flesh, but more rank than that of the mackerel, and therefore less wholesome. Yet some people are so very fond of it, that they call the Herring _the King of Fishes_. They swim in shoals, and spawn once a year, about the autumnal equinox, at which time they are the best. They come into shallow water to spawn, like the mackerel; and hence they periodically visit our coasts, retiring again to the deep waters when the spawning season is over.

The fecundity of the Herring is astonishing. It has been calculated that if the offspring of a single pair of Herrings could be suffered to multiply unmolested and undiminished for twenty years, they would exhibit a bulk ten times the size of the earth. But, happily, Providence has contrived the balance of nature by giving them innumerable enemies. All the monsters of the deep find them an easy prey; and, in addition to these, immense flocks of sea-fowl watch their outset, and spread devastation on all sides.

In the year 1773, the Herrings for two months were in such immense shoals on the Scotch coasts, that it appears from tolerably accurate computations, no fewer than one thousand six hundred and fifty boat-loads were taken in Loch Torridon in one night. These would, in the whole, amount to nearly twenty thousand barrels.

This fish is prepared in different ways, in order to be kept for use through the year. The white, or pickled Herrings, are washed in fresh water, and left the space of twelve or fifteen hours in a tub full of strong brine, made of fresh water and sea-salt. When taken out, they are drained, and put in rows or layers in barrels, with salt.

Red Herrings are prepared in the same manner, with this difference, that they are left in the brine double the time above mentioned; and when taken out, placed in a large chimney constructed for the purpose, and containing about twelve thousand, where they are smoked by means of a fire underneath, made of brushwood, for the space of twenty-four hours.

A WELL-KNOWN fish, between four and five inches in length, the back fin very remote from the nose; the lower jaw longer than the upper, and the eyes blood-shot, like those of the herring, to which it is nearly allied. Sprats arrive yearly in the beginning of November in the river Thames; and generally a large dish of them is presented on the table at Guildhall, on Lord Mayor’s Day, November 9th. They continue through the winter, and depart in March. They are sold by measure, and yield a great deal of sustenance to poor people in the winter season. It is reported that they have been taken yearly about Easter-time in a lake in Cheshire, called Kostern Mere, and in the river Mersey, in which the sea ebbs and flows seven or eight miles below the lake.

The Sardine (_Clupea Sardina_) is caught on the southern shores of France, where it is held in great repute; and from its abounding in the neighbourhood of the island of Sardinia, it is called the Sardine. It is sent here pickled in the same way as herrings, and packed in barrels.

THE PILCHARD. (_Clupea Pilchardus._)

THE chief difference between this fish and the herring is, that the body of the Pilchard is more round and thick; the nose shorter in proportion, turning up; and the under jaw shorter. The back is more elevated, and the belly not so sharp. The scales adhere very closely, whilst those of the herring easily drop off. It is also, in general, of considerably smaller size.

About the middle of July, Pilchards appear in vast shoals off the coast of Cornwall. These shoals remain till the latter end of October, when it is probable they retire to some undisturbed deep, at a little distance, for the winter.

The Pilchard fishery is an important branch of commerce. From a statement of the number of hogsheads exported each year, for ten years, from 1747 to 1756 inclusive, from the four ports of Fowy, Falmouth, Penzance, and St. Ives, it appears that Fowy exported yearly one thousand seven hundred and thirty-two hogsheads; Falmouth, fourteen thousand six hundred and thirty-one; Penzance and Mount’s Bay, twelve thousand one hundred and forty-nine; St. Ives, one thousand two hundred and eighty-two: in all, twenty-nine thousand seven hundred and ninety-four hogsheads. Every hogshead, for ten years last past, together with the bounty allowed for exportation, and the oil made out of it, has amounted, one year with another, at an average, to the price of one pound thirteen shillings and three pence; so that the cash paid for Pilchards exported has, at a medium, annually amounted to the sum of forty-nine thousand five hundred and thirty-two pounds. The above was the state of the fishing several years ago; at present it is still more extensive, the average annual produce of the Cornish fisheries amounting to about twenty-one thousand hogsheads, which contain no less than sixty millions of Pilchards.

THE WHITEBAIT. (_Clupea alba._)

THIS beautiful little fish is a pure white, without spots on either side. Immense quantities are caught from the beginning of April to the end of September, in the Thames; but they are so delicate as scarcely to bear carriage, and are therefore thought best when eaten as near as possible to the place where they were taken; and hence the custom of having Whitebait dinners at the taverns at Greenwich and Blackwall. It was long supposed that the Whitebait was the fry of the shad, but it is now proved to be a distinct species.

LIKE the herring and sprat, these fish leave the depths of the open sea, in order to frequent the smooth and shallow places of the coast, for the purpose of spawning. The fishermen generally light a fire on the shore, for the purpose of attracting the Anchovies, when they fish for them in the night. After they are cleaned, and their heads cut off, they are cured in a particular way, and packed in small barrels for sale and exportation. Anchovies are occasionally found both in the North Sea and in the Baltic; but they are in much greater number in the Mediterranean than in any other part of the world. They have sometimes, though rarely, been caught in the river Dee, on the coasts of Flintshire and Cheshire. The upper jaw of this fish is longer than the under; the back is brown; the sides silvery; fins short; the dorsal fin, opposite the ventrals, transparent; the tail fin-forked. Its length is about three inches.

THE TURBOT is a well-known fish, and much esteemed for the delicate taste, firmness, and sweetness of its flesh. Juvenal, in his fourth Satire, gives us a very ludicrous description of the Roman emperor Domitian assembling the Senate to decide how and with what sauce this fish should be eaten. The Turbot is sometimes two feet and a half long, and about two broad. The scales on the skin are so very small that they are hardly perceptible. The colour of the upper side of the body is a dark brown, spotted with dirty yellow; the under side a pure white, tinged on the edges with a somewhat flesh-colour, or pale pink. There is a great difficulty in baiting the Turbot, as it is very fastidious in its food. Nothing can allure it but herrings or small slices of haddocks, and lampreys; and as it lies in deep water, flirting and paddling on the ooze at the bottom of the sea, no net can reach it, so that it is generally caught by hook and line. It is found chiefly on the northern coasts of England, Scotland, and Holland.

A WELL-KNOWN English fish, nearly allied to the turbot. It has smooth sides, an anal spine, and the eyes and six tubercles are placed on the same side of the head. The body is very flat, and the upper part of the fish of a clear brown colour, marked with orange-coloured spots, and the belly white. Plaice spawn in the beginning of February, and when full-grown assume something like the shape of a turbot; but the flesh is very different, being soft and nearly tasteless.

When near the ground they swim slowly and horizontally, but if suddenly disturbed they change the horizontal to the vertical position, darting along with meteor-like rapidity, and then again quickly resuming their inactive habits at the bottom of the water. Plaice feed on small fish and young crustacea, and have sometimes been taken on our coasts weighing fifteen pounds, but a fish half that weight is considered very large. The finest kind, called Diamond Plaice, are caught on the Sussex coast. These fish are in considerable demand as food, though by no means equal to the turbot and sole. Those of a moderate size are reckoned the best eating.

THE principal distinction between the plaice and the Flounder consists in the former having a row of six tubercles behind the left eye, of which this fish is entirely destitute; it is also a little longer in the body, and, when full-grown, somewhat thicker. The back is of a dark olive colour, spotted. In taste, they are reckoned more delicate than the plaice. They live long after being taken out of their element, and are often cried in the streets of London, but they seldom appear on the tables of the rich and dainty. They are common in the British rivers, and in all large rivers which obey the impression of the tide, and they feed upon worms bred in the mud at the bottom of the water.

IS well known as a very excellent fish, whose flesh is firm, delicate, and of a pleasing flavour. Soles grow to the length of eighteen inches, and even more, in some of our seas. They are often found of this size and superiority in Torbay, whence they are sent to market at Exeter and several other towns in Devonshire and the adjacent counties. They are found also in the Mediterranean and several other seas, and, when in season, are in great requisition for the most luxurious tables. The upper part of the body is brown; the under part white; one of the pectoral fins is tipped with black, the sides are yellow, and the tail rounded at the extremity. It is said that the small Soles, caught in the northern seas, are of a much superior taste to the large ones, which the southern and western coasts afford.

This fish has also the quality of keeping sweet and good for several days, even in hot weather, and is thought to acquire a more delicate flavour by being thus kept. On this account it is that Soles in the London markets are frequently more esteemed than those which are cooked immediately after they are taken out of the sea.

In the economy of flat fish we have an account of one circumstance which is very remarkable: among various other marine productions, they have been known to feed on shell-fish, although they are furnished with no apparatus whatever in their mouth which would seem to be adapted for reducing these to a state calculated for digestion.

THIS brilliant little fish is the smallest of the _salmonidæ_, and is only found in rivers frequented by salmon; for whenever a river becomes deserted by them, the samlet also disappears. This fish is considered to be the fry of the true salmon, and Mr. Young, in a recent essay, has, we think, fairly established the fact; but Mr. Yarrell and other naturalists assert it to be a distinct species.

IS the boast of large rivers, and one of the noblest inhabitants of the sea, if we esteem it by its bulk, colour, and the sweetness of its flesh. Salmon are found of a great weight, and sometimes measure five feet in length. The colour is beautiful, a dark blue dotted with black spots on the back, merging to silvery white on the sides, and white with a little shade of pink below. The fins are comparatively small. These fish, though they live principally in the sea, come up the rivers at the spawning season, to a considerable distance inland, where the female deposits her eggs. Soon after, both she and the male take an excursion to the vast regions of the sea, and do not visit any of the land streams again till the next year, when they return for the same purpose. They are so powerfully impelled by this natural impulse, that, if they are stopped when swimming up a river by a fall of water, they spring up with such a force through the descending torrent, that they stem it till they reach the higher bed of the stream; and on this account small cascades on the Tweed and other rivers are often called Salmon-leaps. The Salmon is in a great measure confined to the northern seas, being unknown in the Mediterranean, and in the waters of other warm climates. The flesh is red when raw, rather paler when salted or boiled; it is an agreeable food, fat, tender, and sweet, and excels in richness all other fresh-water fish; however, it does not agree with every stomach, and is often injurious when eaten by sick persons.

In the river Tweed, about the month of July, the capture of Salmon is astonishing: often a boat-load, and sometimes nearly two, may be taken at a tide; and in one instance more than seven hundred fish were caught at a single haul of the net. From fifty to a hundred at a haul are very common. Some of these are sent to London by the railway; but part are slightly salted and pickled, in which state they are called kipper. The season for fishing commences in the Tweed in February, and ends about old Michaelmas-day. On this river there are about forty considerable fisheries, which extend upwards, about fourteen miles from the mouth; besides many others of less consequence. These, several years ago, were let at an annual rent of more than ten thousand pounds; and to defray this expense, it has been calculated that upwards of two hundred thousand Salmon must be caught there, one year with another. The principal Salmon fisheries in Europe are in the rivers, or on the sea-coasts adjoining the large rivers of England, Scotland, and Ireland. The chief English rivers in which they are now caught are the Tyne, the Trent, the Severn, and the Tweed. They were formerly found in the Thames, but none have been taken there for many years. The Salmon fry go down the river to the sea in April. A young Salmon under two pounds in weight is called a Salmon Peel, and a larger one a Grilse. Salmon cannot be eaten too fresh, and is very unwholesome when stale.

ALSO called the Bull Trout, or Sea Trout, is thicker in the body than the common trout, and weighs about three pounds; it has a large smooth head, which, as well as the back, is of a bluish tint, with a green gloss; the sides are marked with numerous black spots, and the tail is broadest at the end. It is said that in the beginning of summer the flesh of this fish reddens, and remains this colour till the month of August; which is very probably owing to their being on the point of spawning. Like the salmon, this fish inhabits the sea; but in the months of November and December it enters the rivers, in order to deposit its roe; and consequently, in the spawning season, it is occasionally found in lakes and streams, at a great distance from the sea. It is very delicate, and much esteemed on our tables. Some people prefer this fish to salmon; but they are both apt to cause illness when eaten in too great a quantity.

THIS fish, in figure, resembles the salmon; it has a short roundish head, and a blunt snout. Trouts are fresh-water fish, and they breed and live constantly in rivers and small pellucid streams which sparkle over clean pebbles and beds of sand.

They feed on river flies and other water insects, and are so fond of them, and so blindly voracious, that anglers deceive them with artificial flies made of feathers, wool, and other materials, which resemble very closely the natural ones. In Lough Neagh, in Ireland, Trouts have been caught weighing thirty pounds; and we are told, that in the Lake of Geneva, and in the northern lakes of England, they are found of a still larger size. It holds the first place among the river fish, and its flesh is very delicious, but difficult of digestion when old, or kept too long. They spawn in the month of December, and deposit their eggs in the gravel at the bottom of rivers, dykes, and ponds. Unlike most other fish, the Trouts are least esteemed when near spawning. They are properly in season in the months of July and August, being then fat and well-tasted.

The beautiful silvery Trout is the most voracious of fresh-water fish, and will devour every living thing which the water produces--even its own spawn in all its stages, and will lie upon the bed or hill, watching to seize its young fry, as they become vivified and rise from under their gravelly birthplace. Neither does he confine himself to any given sort of fish, but luxuriates his rapacious stomach upon all the varieties, from instinct occasionally changing his food to larvæ, caddis, ephemera, worms, and even the young of the water-snail, all of which act as alternatives. Owing to his large fins and broad tail, his movements are extremely rapid, and, from his muscular power and pliability, he seldom misses his prey. His habits are solitary, being only accompanied by one, and that at some distance from him, in the summer season; and as the autumn approaches, when larvæ, &c., are diminishing, he keeps entirely alone until the pairing season returns. The period of spawning differs in various rivers from natural causes, such as snow, cold rains, or inclement weather; for, as Trout, like salmon, spawn on gravel beds in shallow water, the cold readily affects them. When they cannot reach the spot prepared for the deposit of their eggs, they frequently abstain from spawning for weeks. The younger Trout generally hill, as it is termed, earlier than those of larger growth. They begin to throw up their bed early in December, when the female and male may be seen working together, the former mostly in advance. By constant labour they dig a hollow in the gravel, throwing it up on each side, and at last forming a heap, which is called a hill, or bed. At this period they are very shy and stupid, and even the shadow of a cloud will frighten them from their hill, when they retreat into deeper water; but upon finding all quiet they return. This preparation generally occupies two or three weeks; and frequently the hill is shared both in labour and occupation by several pairs of Trout. It often measures many feet in diameter, and is two or three feet higher than the bed of the stream. From the middle of December to the end of January the Trout is in full spawning operation; when the fish deposit their eggs in the hollow, and afterwards work the gravel over them to the depth of about three inches. If the temperature of the water is not altered during the period of incubation, the young make their appearance on the fiftieth day; never earlier, frequently later. Nature has endowed the young fry with so much instinct of self-preservation, that for many days they keep under the gravel, and it is curious to see the shoal hiding together under large stones to protect themselves from danger: this they continue to do until the eggshell, in which they remain partially enveloped, falls off from their delicate frames. This shell, which adheres to them for fourteen days, contains a proportion of fluid necessary for their support during this period of helplessness. After this they resort to the shallows and scours to avoid the larger fish, where they remain solitary for a year, during which time, in good keep, they attain the weight of three to four ounces; the second year, eight to ten ounces; after which they begin to breed. A fish, like every animal, becomes fat when it has abundance of food with little or no exertion; so that the growth is entirely regulated by the relative proportion of food and labour. I have observed this difference in the same brood of Trout, artificially bred upon my system: the one brood being placed in water well supplied with food, the other in a spring-stream where little food existed; the former, at ten months old, were four inches long, and three and a half ounces in weight, while the latter were only an inch and a half long, and less than an ounce in weight. Although Trout are not migratory, yet, when they become large, they run up stream to purer water. The small Trout are carried down the stream against their habit, by the flushes of water or floods during the autumn months, being unable to stem the thickened torrent, which fills their gills with alluvial deposit, and hinders their respiration, whence they become weak and sickly. In this state of water all fish sicken more or less, and it destroys vast numbers in the very young state. I have known thousands destroyed by the overflowing of a river, as well old as young. The cause of all our rivers falling off in the quantity of fish, is from the increasing impurity of the water, as fish especially require pure water.

_The above interesting notice of the Trout has been communicated to the publisher by_ MR. BOCCIUS, _who devotes himself professionally to the increase of fish in rivers and ponds, and has performed marvels._

IS not unlike the trout; the scales are very small; the colour of the body marked with numerous spots and points of black, red, and silver, mixed with yellow, and without a circle; the back tinged with olive-green; the belly white, the snout bluish. All the fins, except those of the back, are reddish, and the adipose one is red on its edge. This fish is about twelve inches in length, and is esteemed very delicate as an article of food, especially by the Italians. It is abundant in the Lago di Garda, near Venice; and is also found, not only in our northern lakes in Westmoreland and Scotland, but also in the large sheets of water at the foot of the mountains in Lapland. The potted Char enjoys a high and deserved reputation in several parts of the Continent, as well as in England. The Char is a fresh-water fish, and is generally found in the deepest parts of lakes; it is never taken by the angler, only by the net.

THIS fish never exceeds fifteen inches in length, and seldom arrives at three pounds weight. The back and sides are of a silvery grey, and when the fish is first taken out of the water, slightly varied with blue and gold. The coverts of the gills are of a glossy green, and the scales are large.

The Grayling is a fresh-water fish, and delights chiefly in clear and not too rapid streams, where it affords great amusement to the angler, as it is very voracious, and rises eagerly to the fly. They are bolder than trout, and even if missed by the hook several times successively, they will still pursue the bait. They feed principally on worms, insects, and water-snails; and the shells of the latter are often found in great quantities on their stomachs. They spawn in the months of April and May. The largest fish of this species ever heard of was one caught in the Severn, and weighed five pounds.

Ancient writers strongly recommended this fish as food for sick persons, as they considered it peculiarly wholesome and easy of digestion.

THIS fish is in length about eight or nine inches, and nearly one in breadth; the body is of a light olive green, inclining to silver white. The smell, when the fish is fresh and raw, is not unlike that of ripe cucumbers, but it goes off in the frying-pan, and the Smelt then yields a tender and most delicious food. Smelts are sea-fish, and inhabit the sea-coast and harbours; but they are often taken in the Thames, the Medway, and other large rivers, which they ascend in the spawning season. The skin of this fish is so transparent, that with the help of a microscope, its blood may be seen to circulate.

Smelts are found on the coasts of all the northern countries of Europe, and also in the Mediterranean. They vary considerably in size. Mr. Pennant states that the largest he had ever heard of measured thirteen inches in length, and weighed half a pound.

THE body of this fish is a pale olive-grey, deepest on the back, and marked on the sides by several yellowish spots or patches; the abdomen white, slightly spotted with black; its length is from one to eight feet, and its weight from one or two to forty or fifty pounds. The flesh is white and firm, and considered very wholesome; the larger and older it is, the more it is esteemed. There is scarcely any fish of its size in the world that in voracity can equal the Pike.[A] It lives in rivers, lakes, and ponds; and in a confined piece of water will soon destroy all other fish, as it generally does not feed upon anything else, and often swallows one nearly as big as itself; for through its greediness in eating, it takes the head foremost, and so draws it in by little and little at a time, till it has swallowed the whole. A gudgeon of good size has been found in the stomach of a large Pike, the head of which had already received clear marks of the power of digestion, whilst the rest of the fish was still fresh and unimpaired.

[A] Mr. Boccius has, however, shown that the Trout is even more voracious.

“I have been assured (says Walton) by my friend Mr. Seagrave, who keeps tame otters, that he has known a Pike, in extreme hunger, fight with one of his otters for a carp that the otter had caught, and was then bringing out of the water.”

Boulker, in his Art of Angling, says, that his father caught a Pike, which he presented to Lord Cholmondeley, that was an ell long, and weighed thirty-six pounds. His lordship directed it to be put into a canal in his garden, which at that time contained a great quantity of fish. Twelve months afterwards the water was drawn off, and it was discovered that the Pike had devoured all the fish, except a large carp that weighed between nine and ten pounds, and even this had been bitten in several places. The Pike was again put in, and an entire fresh stock of fish for him to feed on: all these he devoured in less than a year. Several times he was observed by workmen who were standing near, to draw ducks and other water-fowl under water. Crows were shot and thrown in, which he took in the presence of the men. From this time the slaughtermen had orders to feed him with the garbage of the slaughter-house; but being afterwards neglected, he died, as is supposed, from want of food.

In December, 1765, a Pike was caught in the river Ouse, that weighed upwards of twenty-eight pounds, and was sold for a guinea. When it was opened, a watch with a black riband and two seals were found in its body. These, it was afterwards found, had belonged to a gentleman’s servant, who had been drowned in the river about a month before.

The Pike is a very long-lived fish. In the year 1497, one was caught at Heilbrun, in Swabia, to which was affixed a brazen ring, with the following words engraved on it in Greek characters: “I am the fish, which was first of all put into this lake, by the hands of the governor of the universe, Frederick the Second, the fifth of October, 1230.”

SELDOM grows to any great size; yet we have an account of one which is said to have weighed nine pounds. The body is deep, the scales rough, the back arched, and the side-lines placed near the back. For beauty of colours, the Perch vies with the gaudiest inhabitants of the waters; the back glows with the deep reflections of the brightest emeralds, divided by five broad black stripes; the abdomen imitates the tints of the opal and mother-of-pearl; and the ruby hue of the fins completes an assemblage of colours most harmonious and elegant. It is a gregarious fish, and is caught in several rivers of these islands; the flesh is firm, delicate, and much esteemed.

It is generally believed that a pike will not attack a full-grown Perch: he is deterred from so doing by the spiny or dorsal fin on the back, which this fish always erects at the approach of an enemy. Perch are so voracious, that, if an expert angler happens to find a shoal of them, he may catch every one. If, however, a single fish escape that has felt the hook, all is over; as this fish becomes so restless, as soon to occasion the whole shoal to leave the place. Perch are so bold, that they are generally the first fish caught by a young angler; they will also soon learn to take bread thrown into the water to feed them. A large-sized Perch weighs about three pounds; but generally the Perches caught in ponds do not exceed eight or ten ounces in weight.

IS found in abundance on our southern coasts, and is still more common in the Mediterranean. It has one long dorsal fin, like the ruffe. The flesh of this fish is highly esteemed.

The Climbing Perch, (_Anabas scandens_,) a native of the fresh waters of India, possesses a very singular apparatus for enabling it to quit the water, and pass a considerable time on dry ground. This consists of a curiously folded portion of thin bone on each side of the head near the gills, in the cavities of which a good deal of water is contained; this keeps the gills in a moist state while the fish is out of the water, and thus enables it to breathe in the air. This fish is said to employ its singular power of quitting the water for the purpose of climbing trees, although what it expects to gain by so doing is quite unknown. Its power of climbing has been denied by some naturalists, but Daldorf says that he once caught one which had clambered to a height of six feet on the stem of a palm, and was in the act of going still higher.

THE POPE is very like a small perch, but with a curiously formed single dorsal fin: the colour of the back is a dusky olive green; the sides light brownish green and copper colour; and small brown spots are spread over the dorsal fin, the back, and tail. The pectoral, ventral, and anal fins are pale brown. This fish rarely exceeds six inches in length; but it is nearly as good as a perch of the same size, which it resembles, both in its haunts and habits; it spawns in April, and feeds on small fry, worms, or aquatic insects.

Cuvier assigns the credit of the first discovery of this fish to an Englishman of the name of Caius, who found it in the river Yare, near Norwich, and called it Aspredo, a translation of our name Ruffe, (rough,) which is well applied to it, on account of the harsh feel of its denticulated scales.

IS famous for the sweetness of its flesh, when of moderate size, that is, when measuring about twelve to fifteen inches in length, and weighing about three pounds. The scales are large, with a golden gloss upon a dark green ground. These fish sometimes grow to the length of three or four feet, and contain a great quantity of fat. The soft roe of the Carp is esteemed a great delicacy among epicures. In the canals of Chantilly, formerly the seat of the Prince of Condé, Carps have been kept for above one hundred years, most of them appearing hoary through old age, and so tame that they answered to their names when the keeper called them to be fed. This fish has large molar teeth only, situate at the back part of the head or throat, and a broad tongue; the tail is widely spread as well as the fins, which are inclined to a reddish tint. Carp that live in rivers and running streams are preferred for the table, as those which inhabit pools and ponds have generally a muddy and disagreeable taste. Though so cunning in general as to be called the River Fox, yet at spawning time they suffer themselves to be tickled and caught without attempting to escape. It is said that Carp were first brought to England about three hundred years ago. They are very tenacious of life, and at the inns in Holland are often kept alive a month or six weeks, by being fed with bread and milk, and laid on wet moss in a net, which is hung from the ceiling in an airy place. The moss is kept moist, and water is thrown over the fish twice a day.

Carp is always considered a delicacy for the table, especially when stewed in port wine; and it appears to have been long held in high estimation on that account, as we find, from the privy purse expenses of Henry VIII., that the bluff king was exceedingly fond of Carp.

LIKE the carp, is remarkably tenacious of life. Its body is thick and short, and seldom exceeds twelve inches in length, or four pounds in weight. The eyes are red; the back, dorsal, and ventral fins dusky; the head, sides, and abdomen of a greenish hue, mixed with gold; and the tail very broad. The Tench delights in still water, in the muddy parts of ponds, where it is the most secure from the voracious ramblings and fierce attacks of the tyrant pike, and from the hook of the angler; here it lives nearly motionless, lurking beneath flags, reeds, and weeds. This inactive life has enabled some individuals of this species to attain an extraordinary bulk. We have read, as a well-authenticated fact, that in the northern part of England, in a piece of water, which having been long neglected, was filled with timber, stones, and rubbish, two hundred Tench, and as many perch of good size were found; and that one fish in particular, which seemed to have been shut up in a nook, had not only surpassed all the others in size, but had also taken the form of the hole in which it had been accidentally confined. The body was in the shape of a half-moon, conforming in the convexity of its outlines to the concavity of the dungeon where this innocent sufferer had been immured for a number of years; it weighed eleven pounds.

WAS originally brought from China, and first introduced into England in 1661, but is now become quite common, and will breed as freely in ponds as the carp. The average size is about five inches, and it scarcely ever exceeds seven and a half. Gold-fish are highly prized in China, and are extensively introduced in the ornamental waters of our own country. Nothing is more pleasing than to see them glide along and play in the transparent crystal, whilst their broad and glittering scales reflect the rays of the sun. They are often kept within the small compass of a glass bowl, where they become tame and docile, and after a short time seem to recognise their feeders.

The smallest fish are preferred, not only from their being the most beautiful, but because a greater number of them can be kept in a small circumference. These are of a fine orange red colour, appearing as if sprinkled over with gold-dust. Some, however, are white, like silver; and others white, spotted with red.

When Gold-fish are kept in ponds, they are often taught to rise to the surface of the water at the sound of a bell, to be fed.

A WELL-KNOWN fresh-water fish, generally found in gentle streams, on gravelly scours. The average length of this fish is from six to eight inches, and its weight is from two to three ounces. The back is brown, the abdomen white, and the sides tinged with red; the tail is forked. It is beautified with black spots both on the body and tail. Gudgeons spawn early in summer, and feed upon worms and aquatic insects. Their flesh is white, of excellent flavour, and easy of digestion. In the months of September and October these fish are taken in the rivers of some parts of the Continent in great abundance; and the markets are well supplied with them. They are not uncommon in the river Thames, where persons are frequently to be seen fishing for them from punts. As these fish bite with great eagerness, large numbers are often taken in this manner. They are also caught in nets, as well as with hooks and lines.

IS of a coarse nature, and full of bones; it seldom exceeds the weight of five pounds. The body is of an oblong shape, nearly round; the head, which is large, and the back, are of a deep dusky green; the sides silvery, and the abdomen white; the pectoral fins are of a pale yellow, the ventral and anal ones red; and the tail brown, tinged with blue at its extremity, and slightly forked. This fish frequents the deep holes of rivers, but in the summer, when the sun shines, it rises to the surface, and lies quiet under the shade of the trees, that spread their foliage on the verdant banks; but yet, though it seems to indulge itself in slumber, it is easily awakened, and at the least alarm dives rapidly to the bottom. Although a leather-mouthed fish, it takes every species of food, including small fish, the same as a trout, though it is not so voracious. In March and April this fish may be caught with large red worms; in June and July, with flies, snails, and cherries; in August, and September, with cheese pounded in a mortar, mixed with saffron and butter. When the Chub seizes a bait, it bites so eagerly that its jaws are often heard to chop like those of a dog. It, however, seldom breaks its hold, and, when once struck, is soon tired.

THE BARBEL is readily distinguished from the other carps by the four barbs or wattels attached to its mouth. Its upper jaw is very considerably extended beyond the lower jaw. The Lea, the Thames, and various other rivers in the neighbourhood of London, abound in this fish, which affords excellent sport to the angler. “During summer,” says Mr. Gorrell, “this fish, in shoals, frequents the weedy parts of the river; but as soon as the weeds begin to decay in autumn it seeks the deeper water, and shelters itself near piles, locks, and bridges, which it frequents till the following spring.” It is sometimes found to weigh from fifteen to eighteen pounds, and to measure three feet in length, but its usual length is from twelve to eighteen inches. The flesh is coarse and unsavory, and held in no estimation.

RESEMBLES the chub in its form, but is smaller, and of a lighter colour; it is gregarious and remarkably prolific. It is seldom more than ten inches in length; the back is of a dusky colour, tinged with yellow and green, and the sides have a silvery cast.

Dace spawn in March, and are in season about three weeks afterwards. They improve, and are good about Michaelmas; but in February they are best. The flesh is, however, at all times woolly and insipid. They are very lively creatures, and, if kept in ponds, may live a considerable time.

BELONGS also to the carp family, and is remarkable for its numerous progeny. It is a deep yet thin-made fish, in shape somewhat resembling the bream, but approaching the carp in the breadth and shape of its scales, which are large and deciduous. The soundness of the flesh is become proverbial, and pleases the taste by a peculiar delicacy of flavour. The ventral fins are, like those of the perch, of a bright crimson, and the irides of the eye sparkle like rubies and garnets. The length of the Roach is commonly between nine and ten inches, but sometimes much greater.

IS nearly allied to the roach. It is a small glittering fish, familiar to most persons from its playing about on warm summer evenings on the surface of rivers in chase of flies, bread-crumbs, &c. The scales are employed in making artificial pearls.

IS a flatfish fish, not unlike the carp in several points, but much broader in proportion to its length and thickness. Its head is truncated, the upper jaw a little projecting; the forehead a bluish black; cheeks yellowish; body olive, paler below; fins obscure, with an oblong conical process at the base of the ventral fins; twenty-nine rays in the anal fin; its greatest length is about two feet. The scales are large, and of a bright colour; the tail has the form of a crescent. It frequents the deepest parts of rivers, lakes, and ponds. These fish spawn in May, secluding themselves at that time so carefully in the ooze at the bottom of the water that they are seldom found with either soft or hard roe in them, so that in some countries the name is often used to denote sterility. The flesh is not comparable to that of the carp.

The White Bream never exceeds a pound in weight, and is consequently much smaller than the Common or Carp Bream, which frequently weighs seven or eight pounds.

In some of the lakes of Ireland great quantities of Bream are taken, many of them of very large size, sometimes weighing as much as twelve or even fourteen pounds each. A place conveniently situated for the fishing is baited with grain, or other coarse food, for ten days or a fortnight regularly, after which great sport is usually obtained. The party frequently catch several hundredweight, which are distributed among the poor of the vicinity, who split and dry them with great care, to eat with their potatoes.

THE body of the Minnow is of a blackish green, with blue and yellow variegations; the abdomen silvery; scales small; ten rays in the ventral, anal, and dorsal fins; tail forked, and marked near the base with a dusky spot. Its length is about three inches.

This beautiful and well-known fish is gregarious, and is frequent in clear gravelly streams and rivulets in many parts of Europe. In Britain it appears in March, and is seldom seen after October. It spawns in June, and is, indeed, found in roe during the greater part of the summer. It is easily tamed: and, in captivity, may be taught to pick flies or filaments of beef from the hand.

The flesh of the Minnow is extremely delicate, but the fish is so small that it would take a great number to make a dish, and consequently it is seldom used for human food. Its chief value is as a bait for catching other fish. In some parts of England it is so abundant as sometimes to be used as manure.

WHICH also belongs to the family of the carps, is a small fish, with six barbs at the mouth. It inhabits small, gravelly streams, and lies at the bottom among the stones; it is easily caught with a small worm.

It is considered an extremely well-flavoured fish, though, on account of its small size, and the difficulty of catching a sufficient quantity, seldom seen at table. The Loach is very sensitive to atmospheric changes, which it shows by its restless movements. They have sometimes been kept alive in glass vessels, in which state they indicate the approach of storms with almost the accuracy of a barometer.

IS found in clear brooks and rivers in most parts of Europe. It is from four to five inches long; the head is large in proportion to the body, broad and depressed; the gill fins round, and beautifully notched. The mouth is large and full of small teeth; the general colour of the body is a dark brownish black. This fish is remarkably stupid, and may be caught with ease by the most inexperienced angler, even with a bent pin and coarse thread. Its hiding-places are among loose stones, under which the peculiar flattened form of its head enables it to thrust itself. Its popular name seems to have suggested itself from the resemblance the head of the fish is supposed to bear to the form of a miller’s thumb, the peculiar conformation of which is produced by his mode of testing samples of meal.

THE STICKLEBACK, (_Gastuostius aculiatus_,)

IS one of our smallest fishes, and appears to live indifferently in fresh and salt water. It is exceedingly common in every pond, and may be caught easily, either with a hand-net, or by fishing for it with a small worm tied to the end of a piece of cotton; he bites at this so boldly that he may be drawn out of the water without the aid of a hook. His name of Stickleback is given to him from his having thin spines on the back instead of a fin; the sides of his body are covered with thin bony plates, and his ventral fins consist of single, strong, and sharp spines, which constitute formidable offensive weapons.

The Stickleback, although so common, is one of the most interesting of fishes, on account of the singularity of its habits in the breeding season. Instead of depositing its eggs in the sand or mud, and leaving them to take care of themselves, the Stickleback builds a curious nest of fragments of vegetable matter, and defends this most valiantly against all intruders until the hatching of the young; the parental solicitude does not cease until the young Sticklebacks have grown too big to be any longer controlled. One curious feature in the business is, that it is the male that takes all this trouble; he builds the nest, exposes himself to every danger in its defence, and watches anxiously over the vagaries of his young progeny, the female having nothing to do but to deposit her eggs in the already prepared nest.

The Stickleback is an extremely pugnacious fish. The males fight together furiously, and the colours of their bodies become much more brilliant while they are so occupied than at any other time.

THIS very remarkable fish is about five or six feet in length, and twelve inches in circumference, in the thickest part of the body. The head is broad, flat, and large; the mouth wide and destitute of teeth; the rostrum obtuse and rounded; the eyes small and of a bluish colour; the back of a darkish brown, the sides grey, and the abdomen of a dingy white. Across the body there are several annular divisions, or rather ridges of the skin, which give the fish the power of contracting or dilating itself at pleasure. There is no dorsal fin, and the ventral fins are also wanting, as in all the Eels. It is able to swim backwards as well as forwards.

Mr. Bryant mentions an instance of the shock from one of these fish being felt through a considerable thickness of wood. One morning, while he was standing by, as a servant was emptying a tub, in which an Electrical Eel was contained, he had lifted it entirely from the ground, and was pouring off the water to renew it, when he received a shock so violent as occasioned him to let the tub fall. He then called another person to his assistance, and they lifted up the tub together, each laying hold only on the outside. When they were pouring off the remainder of the water, they received a shock so smart that they were compelled to desist.

Persons have been knocked down with a stroke. One of these fish having been taken from a net and laid upon the grass, an English sailor, notwithstanding all the persuasions that were used to prevent him, would insist on taking it up; but the moment he grasped it he dropped down in a fit; his eyes were fixed, his face became livid, and it was not without difficulty that his senses were restored. He said that the instant he touched it “the cold ran swiftly up his arm into his body, and pierced him to the heart.”

Humboldt tells us that when the Indians wish to catch these Eels they drive some wild horses through the pools which the fish inhabit; and that when the Eels have exhausted their electrical power upon the horses, the Indians take them without difficulty. He relates an instance in which he says that the horses, stunned with the shocks they received, sank under water, but most of them rose again, and gained the shore, where they lay stretched out on the ground, apparently quite exhausted and without the power of moving, so much were they stupefied and benumbed. In about a quarter of an hour, however, the Eels appeared to have exhausted themselves, and, instead of attacking fresh horses that were driven into the pond, fled before them. The Indians then entered the water and caught as many fish as they liked.[B]

[B] See a very animated account of the capture of this fish, in Humboldt’s “Views of Nature,” page 16 (_Bohn’s Edition_).

This most singular fish is peculiar to South America, where it is found only in stagnant pools, at a great distance from the sea.

THE EEL resembles a serpent in its form, though no two animals can be more different in every other respect. Eels are fresh-water fish; but as they are very susceptible of cold, those which inhabit rivers go down every autumn towards the sea, which is always warmer than a river, and return in spring. They are said also to spawn in the sea, and great numbers of young Eels are seen in spring ascending tidal rivers. Mr. Edward Jesse, in his edition of “Walton’s Angler,” says: “A column of them has been traced in the Thames from Somerset House to Oxford, about the middle of May, and I have watched their progress with much interest. No impediment stops them. They keep as much as possible close alongshore, and as they pass watercourses, open ditches, and brooks, &c., some of them leave the column and enter these places, along which they eventually make their way to ponds, smaller rivers, &c. So strong is the migratory instinct in these little eels, that when I have taken some in a bucket and returned them to the river at some distance from the column, they have immediately rejoined it without any deviation to the right or left. On the banks of the Thames the passage is called _Eel-fare_. Two observers, watching their progress at Kingston, calculated that from sixteen to eighteen hundred passed a given line per minute. Rennie saw (on the 13th of May) a column of young eels of uniform size, about as thick as a crow-quill, and three inches long, returning to the river Clyde, in almost military order, keeping within parallel lines of about six inches. He traced it for several hours without perceiving any diminution.” Those that live in ponds seek the deep water for their winter quarters, and sometimes bury themselves in the mud at the bottom. They are very tenacious of life, and will live for a long time out of water; they are even sometimes found on the grass, passing from one pond to another, in search, it is said, of food.

They are voracious feeders, eating frogs, snails, and other molluscous animals, worms, the fry of fishes, and the larvæ of various insects, as well as grass and aquatic weeds. Mr. Jesse states that he has known them to eat young ducks, and even water-rats.

The Eel is caught in many different ways. As it seldom stirs during the day, the best method is found to be by setting night-lines. The baits most commonly used are lob-worms, loach, minnows, small perch, with the fins cut off, or small pieces of any fish; but such is the voracity of this animal that it will take almost any bait.

Spearing for Eels is a method very commonly resorted to during the winter, when Eels imbed themselves in a state of torpidity in the muddy banks of streams and ponds. Eel-spears have usually six or seven prongs, with long handles. The process consists merely in plunging them into the mud in likely places, and pulling them out again.

There seems to be no reason for supposing, as is commonly done, that Eels are viviparous; parasitic worms have sometimes been mistaken for the young animals.

The common Eel often weighs upwards of twenty pounds. The flesh is tender, soft, and nourishing, but does not agree with all stomachs.

THE CONGER, OR SEA EEL, (_Conger vulgaris_,)

IS very large and thick. Its body is dusky above, and silvery below; the dorsal and anal fins are edged with black; and the lateral line is dotted with white. Its flesh is firm, and was much esteemed by the ancients. It is still eaten by the poorer classes, especially in seaside towns, but would be considered coarse and tasteless by most people in the present day.

The voracity of the Conger Eel is very great, and it is one of the most powerful enemies with which the fishermen of the British islands have to contend. Being usually caught by a hook and line, it requires some care to land and kill the large ones without danger. We are informed that, on such occasions, they have been known to entwine themselves round the legs of a fisherman, and fight with the utmost fury. They are almost incredibly strong and tenacious of life. When pulled up by the line and landed in a boat, they make a loud, hoarse, grating sound, almost resembling the angry snarling of a dog, which often terrifies the amateur fisherman. Unless seized with great care, they bite most severely. It is even said that men have occasionally been permanently maimed by them. A Conger, six feet in length, was caught in the Wash, at Yarmouth, in April, 1808: but not without a severe contest with the man who had seized it. The animal is stated to have risen half erect, and to have actually knocked the fisherman down before he could secure it. This Conger weighed only about sixty pounds: but some of the largest exceed even a hundredweight.