Part 17

These fish are indebted, for their name, to the dark colour which their body generally assumes when they have attained their full growth. To the inhabitants of the Orkney Islands, and of the extreme northern parts of Scotland, they afford a most important supply of food, at a season of the year when the poor are deprived of almost every other means of subsistence. At the approach of winter, when the seas are stormy, myriads of these fish run into the bays; and they continue in the immediate neighbourhood of the same coasts till the months of February and March. They are nearly as important an object of pursuit on account of their _livers_ as for their _flesh_. From these is obtained a considerable quantity of oil, which is used for burning in lamps, and for numerous other purposes. The young Coal-fish approach the Yorkshire coasts in the months of July and August, and, when four or five inches in length, they are much esteemed as food; but the older fish are so coarse and bad, that, where other food is to be obtained, few people will eat them. By being salted and dried, however, they are rendered firm and palatable.

Coal-fish are usually caught with lines. The best bait for them is a sprat or a limpet parboiled. The Shetlanders use the latter; and, seated on the rocks projecting over the water, or in boats, they are very expert in catching them. A man, holding a rod in each hand, will frequently draw them up as fast as he can put down his lines. He keeps a few limpets in his mouth, and baits his hook at a single motion with one hand, assisted by his lips, and with the greatest ease and certainty. The fish thus caught are generally those of the second year's growth, and are not much larger than herrings.

212. _POLLACK_ (Gadus pollachius) _is a fish belonging to the cod tribe, with three dorsal fins, no beard to the under jaw, the under jaw longer than the upper, the tail-fin forked, and the side line much curved._

_The usual weight of the pollack is six or seven pounds, but it sometimes much exceeds this._

In the Baltic Sea and the Northern Ocean, particularly in those parts where the bottom is rocky, and the sea much agitated, these fish appear, at stated seasons, in great shoals, playing about on the surface in all directions and in the most sportive and agile manner. Near Lubec and Heligoland they are sometimes caught, in immense numbers, in nets, or with lines and hooks baited with a feather, a small fish, or a bit of the skin of an eel. They frequent some of the southern parts of our coasts in the summer, and the eastern shores of Yorkshire in winter.

As an article of food, pollacks are usually considered inferior to whiting, but, in some places, they are much esteemed. On the Continent they are sometimes salted, and eaten during Lent by the inferior classes of people.

213. _LING_ (Gadus molva) _are a species of cod which have two dorsal fins, a small beard on the under jaw, the under jaw longer than the upper, and the tail fin rounded._

_They are caught in great numbers in the Northern Ocean, and about the northern coasts of Great Britain and Ireland; and when full grown are three or four feet in length._

The importance of these fish in a commercial view, is very great. Their size, the numbers in which they are caught, the excellence of their flesh when salted, and the value of the oil that they yield, all contribute to render them an object of eager pursuit by fishermen in those countries on the coasts of which they are found. More than 900,000 pounds' weight of ling are annually exported from the coasts of Norway. In England they are fished for and cured in the same manner as cod (205): and it is said that they bear carriage to great distances much better than cod.

Ling are in season from February until about the end of May. Vast numbers of these fish are salted in the northern parts of England, for exportation as well as for home consumption. When they are in season the _liver_ is white, and yields a great quantity of fine and well-flavoured oil. This is extracted by placing it over a slow fire; but if a sudden heat be applied, very little oil can be obtained. As soon as the fish are out of season the liver becomes red, and affords no oil. A kind of isinglass is made from the _air-bladders_. The _tongues_ are eaten either fresh, dried, or salted.

214. _The BURBOT_ (Gadus lota, Fig. 60) _is a somewhat eel-shaped species of cod with two dorsal fins, a single fleshy beard on the under jaw, the jaws nearly equal in length, and the tail rounded._

_This fish is found in some rivers of England, and in rivers and lakes of the Continent; and when full grown weighs two or three pounds._

Although the burbot is esteemed a very delicate fish for the table, it is so common in the Oder, and in some other rivers of Germany, that the fishermen, unable otherwise to dispose of all they catch, not unfrequently cut the fattest parts of the fish into slips, and, after drying them, burn them instead of candles. The _livers_ are large and of peculiarly excellent flavour. It is related of a Countess de Beuchlingen, in Thuringia, that she was so partial to the livers of burbots as to expend a great portion of her income in the purchase of them. If suspended in a glass and placed near a hot stove, or in the heat of the sun, they yield an oil which was formerly in great repute as an external application for the removal of swellings. The _air-bladders_, which are so large as often to be nearly one-third of the whole length of the fish, are employed in some countries for making isinglass.

ORDER III.--THORACIC FISH.

215. _The JOHN DOREE_ (Zeus faber, Fig. 65) _is a fish very much compressed at the sides, with large head, wide mouth, long filaments to the rays of the first dorsal fin, the tail rounded, and a roundish black spot on each side of the body._

_This fish is an inhabitant of most seas, and is usually about a foot and a half in length; but it is sometimes known to weigh so much as ten or twelve pounds._

It has only been within about the last half century that this delicious, though hideous-looking, fish, has had a place at our tables; and the first person who brought it into notice was the well-known actor and bon-vivant, the late Mr. Quin.

Near the coasts of Devonshire and Cornwall, dorées are caught in great number both in nets and with lines; and they are principally in season during the months of October, November, and December. Their name is a corruption from the French _jaune dorée_, and signifies golden yellow fish, this being their colour when first taken out of the water.

216. _The HOLIBUT_ (Pleuronectes hippoglossus) _is a flat fish of considerably lengthened shape, of olive or blackish colour above, with smooth body, and the tail hollowed at the extremity. The eyes (as viewed from the head toward the tail) are on the right side._

_These, the largest of all the European species of flat fish, inhabit both the European and American seas, and frequently weigh from 100 to 300 or 400 pounds each._

As the holibut is found only at the bottom of the water, the usual mode of catching it is with hooks and lines; and its size is so great that, for sale in the markets, it is customary to cut it into pieces. The season in which it is most esteemed is during the months of October, November, and December.

Though, in general, a coarse food, the parts which are near the side fins are fat and delicious, but too rich for any one to eat much of them. The inhabitants of Greenland eat of these fish both fresh and dried. They also eat the _skin_ and the _liver_; and the _membrane of the stomach_ serves instead of glass for windows. The Swedes and Icelanders make of holibut a food called _raff_ and _roechel_; the former consisting of the fins with the fat skin to which they are attached; and the latter of pieces of the flesh cut into stripes, salted, and dried on sticks in the air. Holibuts are also salted in the same manner as herrings, which is said to be the best mode of curing them; but, in this state, they are coarse and bad eating.

217. _The PLAISE_ (Pleuronectes platessa) _is a kind of flat fish easily known by a row of six bony protuberances behind the left eye, and its upper side being marbled with olive and brown, and marked with orange spots_.

_Though usually of small size, this fish sometimes grows to the weight of twelve or fourteen pounds, and is found on the shores of almost all the countries of Europe._

The best and largest plaise are said to be caught on some parts of the coast of Sussex. They are in greatest perfection from December to March, and in July, August and September. Those that are of tolerably large size are firm and well-flavoured, but the small and thin fish become gluey by boiling. The flesh of the former is bluish, and of the latter reddish white. Plaise are generally caught with nets called seine nets, which are hauled upon the shores.

In some countries these fish are salted and dried as articles of commerce; and in others the best of them are skinned, dried, and pressed into particular forms, and, when eaten, are cut like cheese.

218. _The DAB_ (Pleuronectes limanda) _is a species of flat fish, of yellowish brown colour, with the eyes on the right side of the body, the scales hard and toothed, and the lateral line, at its commencement, curved round the pectoral fin._

_It is in general much smaller than the plaise._

Although very common on the shores of the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, the dab is much more scarce on the British shores than the plaise. When in best season, during the months of February, March, and April, it is considered preferable to that fish. In the summer-time its flesh is soft and of bad flavour. The Dutch and Scots fishermen sometimes salt and dry these fish.

219. _The BRILL is a flat fish somewhat like the turbot (222), but with its eyes on the right side of the body, the whole surface of the body smooth, and a laceration at the beginning of the dorsal fin._

These fish are not uncommon, in somewhat deeper water than the plaise, and the flounder, along the coasts of Dorsetshire, Hampshire, and some of the eastern parts ot England. They are very common at Billingsgate, and in other markets; are considered an excellent fish for the table, being white, firm, and well-flavoured; and are chiefly in season in the months of October and November.

220. _The FLOUNDER_ (Pleuronectes flesus) _is a flat fish which differs from the plaise (217) principally in wanting the six protuberances behind the left eye, in having the lateral line rough, short spines at the base of the upper side of the fins, and a great number of rough points on almost the whole upper surface of the body._

_Its weight seldom exceeds two or three pounds._

There are few species of fish so common on the flat and somewhat muddy shores of this country as the flounder. It enters the harbours, and ascends the rivers to a considerable distance from their mouth. It is even caught in places where the water is perfectly fresh, and it is said to be much sweeter and better for the table when taken at a distance from the sea than in salt-water. On this account chiefly it is that the flounders caught in the river Thames have obtained great celebrity. They are in best season from January to March, and from July to September.

Flounders are generally caught with nets in the same way as other flat fish. But sometimes the fishermen catch them by walking gently in the shallow waters, where they abound, and stabbing an iron prong or fork through their bodies, as they lie in the mud. The places where they lie are known by the exposure only of their eyes and mouth, all the other parts of their body being concealed. Small flounders are frequently used by fishermen as bait for crabs and lobsters.

221. _The SOLE_ (Pleuronectes solea) _is a flat fish, the body of which is oblong and rough, and the upper jaw longer than the lower._

_It is found off the sandy shores of nearly all parts of the world; and, though in England, it does not often exceed the might of three or four pounds, in hot climates it frequently weighs as much as seven or eight pounds._

The sole is a fish in great request for the table, and, except the turbot, is usually considered the most firm and delicate fish of its tribe. Though exposed for sale during nearly the whole year, it is in highest perfection about Midsummer. By the ancient laws of the Cinque Ports no person was allowed to catch soles from the first of November to the fifteenth of March; nor was any one permitted to use nets betwixt sun-setting and sun-rising, that the fish might not be disturbed in their feeding. Soles when good are of thick form, and their under parts are cream-coloured; if the latter are bluish, the fish are flabby and bad. These, unlike most other fish, may be kept several days, even in hot weather, without becoming putrid; and they are always skinned before they are eaten. The _skins_ are sometimes dried, and used for the clarifying of coffee.

222. _The TURBOT_ (Pleuronectes maximus, Fig. 66) _is a species of flat fish, distinguished by its eyes being on the left side, the body being broad, marbled with brown and yellow above, and rough with bony protuberances._

_The weight of these fish is from four or five to betwixt twenty and thirty pounds._

_They are chiefly caught in the European and Mediterranean seas._

It has been calculated that more than 10,000 pounds' weight of turbots are annually consumed in London. These are chiefly caught off the northern coasts of England, and off the coast of Holland. Notwithstanding the high repute of turbot for the tables of the most wealthy and luxurious inhabitants of this country, it has only of late been relished in Scotland, and many persons there still prefer the holibut (216) to it. There are now, or were very lately, living in one of the coast-towns of Scotland several poor people who were accustomed to derive a great part of their subsistence from the turbots which the fishermen threw away upon the beach as of no value. A general officer in the English army first taught the inhabitants of Fifeshire that these fish were eatable; and astonished the fishermen of that country by offering so great a sum as a shilling a piece for the largest of them.

Many of the vessels, which carry fish to the Thames, are employed in fishing for turbot even so far north as the Frith of Forth, and, in the wells of these vessels, they are brought alive to the London markets. Turbot are caught off the Yorkshire coast with hooks and lines. At Scarborough each fisherman takes, in his boat, three lines coiled upon flat oblong pieces of wicker-work, the hooks being baited and placed in the centre of the coils. The lines are usually furnished with 280 hooks, placed at the distance of six feet two inches from each other. In this fishing there are always three men in each boat, and nine of these lines are fastened together, extending in length nearly three miles, and furnished with 2520 hooks. They are placed in the sea, across the current, and secured by anchors or large stones at the end of every three lines. Their situation is marked by floats or buoys made of leather or cork. The lines are always placed at the turn of the tide; and they are suffered to continue until the next tide, and consequently remain upon the ground about six hours. The best bait for turbot is a fresh herring, though the Dutch fishermen prefer the lesser lampreys (255) to them, and have been known to purchase of the English fishermen, for this purpose, more than 700l. worth of these lampreys per annum. Small pieces of haddocks, sand-worms, and some kinds of shell-fish, are also occasionally used; and, when none of these are to be had, bullock's liver is adopted.

Turbots are in season during nearly the whole summer. When in perfection, they are thick, and the under part of the body is of yellowish white colour. If they are thin, or this part has a bluish tinge, they are bad. These fish are generally considered better if kept in a cool place for a few days before they are eaten.

223. _The COMMON PERCH_ (Perca fluviatilis) _is a fresh-water fish, distinguished by having sixteen soft rays to the second dorsal fin, fourteen spiny ones to the first dorsal fin, the upper gill-covers serrated at the edges, and the sides marked by five broad and upright bars of black._

_This fish seldom exceeds the weight of four or five pounds._

_It is found in rivers and lakes both in Europe and Siberia._

With the ancient Romans the perch was a very favourite fish. Though somewhat bony, it is white, firm, and well flavoured, and is considered an excellent food for persons in a weak state of health. Perch are generally found in rapid streams where the water is somewhat deep. They are caught both with nets and with hooks and lines, and are in greatest perfection, from January to March, and again in October and November. In Lapland and Siberia they are sometimes found of enormous size. The Laplanders, in one of their churches, have the dried head of a perch which is nearly a foot in length. The Dutch are particularly fond of perch when made into a dish called _water souchy_.

From the _skins_ of perch a kind of isinglass is made which surpasses that made from any other fish. The Laplanders use it to stiffen their bows and make them durable. As this substance might be rendered of use for various purposes of domestic economy, it may not be altogether unimportant to detail the mode of its preparation. The skins are first dried, and afterwards softened in cold water to rid them of the scales. The Laplanders generally take four or five of the skins at a time, put them into a rein-deer's bladder, or wrap them in pieces of the bark of the birch-tree, so that they may not come in contact with the water. They place these in a pot of boiling water, putting on them a stone to keep them at the bottom of the pot; and in this situation they are boiled for an hour. When they have become soft and glutinous, they are taken out, and are then in a state fit for use.

Perch may be bred and fattened in ponds; but care should be taken not to put them with other fish, as their voracity renders them extremely destructive to any that are weaker than themselves; or they should be accompanied by such only as are intended to furnish them with food. A pond may be stocked with perch by putting only the eggs or spawn into it; and if the situation and circumstances be favourable, the increase in a few years will be extremely great.

These fish are so tenacious of life that instances have occurred of their being packed in wet straw and carried alive to a distance of fifty miles and upwards.

224. _The BASSE is a sea-fish somewhat resembling a perch, with a short and sharp spine on the posterior plate of the gill-cover, fourteen rays to the second dorsal fin, the back dusky tinged with blue, and the belly white._

_This fish sometimes attains the weight of twenty and even thirty pounds._

_It is found in the Mediterranean, the British Channel, the Northern Ocean, and the Baltic._

These voracious fish are caught during nearly all the year; but the months of August, September, and October, are considered most favourable for taking them. They not only approach the shores, but even ascend the rivers to great distances. Though their flesh is in general woolly and insipid, the Romans preferred them to many other kinds of fish, and sometimes paid high prices for them. Those which they chiefly esteemed were caught in the Tiber, betwixt the bridges of Rome.

The eggs or _roes_ of the basse have sometimes been used in France and Italy to make what is called _Boutargue_ or _Botargo_.

225. _The COMMON MACKREL_ (Scomber scomber) _is known from other fish by having five small and distinct fins betwixt the dorsal fin and the tail._

_Its usual length is from a foot to eighteen inches, and its weight seldom exceeds two or three pounds._

The mackrel fishery is an object of great commercial importance to the inhabitants of most of the countries on the shores of which these fish abound. During the summer season they approach our coasts in immense shoals, and are generally caught in what are called seine nets. From June to August many of our markets are supplied with them; but as mackrel become putrid sooner than most other fish, they cannot be carried to any great distance, nor be kept for any great length of time. On this account it is that they are allowed to be sold in the streets of London on Sundays, and in catholic countries on Sundays and festivals.

When quite fresh mackrel are an excellent fish for the table, and are in best season from May to July. Both in Italy and England they are often pickled with vinegar and spices, and sometimes with bay leaves intermixed. By the inhabitants of many parts of the north of Europe they are salted; and, in this state, they constitute a cheap and very important article of subsistence. In Scotland they are frequently cured in the same manner as herrings. It was with these fish chiefly that the ancient Romans formed their celebrated pickle called _garum_. This in the ancient world constituted a very considerable branch of commerce, not only from its being used as an highly esteemed sauce, but also as it was considered a remedy for various diseases. In the Mediterranean the _roes_ of mackrel are salted, and used for _caviar_.

226. _The THUNNY, or ALBICORE_ (Scomber thynnus, Fig. 61), _is a large fish of the mackrel tribe, of steel-blue colour above, and silvery white beneath; and is particularly known by having from eight to eleven distinct fins betwixt the dorsal fin and the tail._

_These fish measure from six to ten feet in length, and frequently weigh from 400 to 1200 pounds._

_They are chiefly caught in the Mediterranean._

We are acquainted with no species of fish, of size equal to the thunny, which supply mankind with so palatable a food. The thunny fishery is pursued with great ardour, by the inhabitants of nearly all the shores of the Mediterranean; but, particularly, by those of Spain and Sardinia. It constitutes one of the principal objects of diversion to the inhabitants of Sardinia; and, for the purpose of attending it, many persons of distinction come even from distant countries. The nets, which are of great size and value, are prepared in April, and are consecrated by the priests previously to being thrown into the sea. On the preceding evening the persons employed draw lots for the name of the Saint who is to be considered the patron of the fishing for the ensuing day; and this Saint, whoever he maybe, is alone invoked to promote the success of the undertaking.

Notwithstanding their great size, these fish swim in shoals of sometimes more than 1000 together. Pliny, the Roman naturalist, asserts that the fleet of Alexander the Great attempted, in vain, to pass through a shoal of them, in any other manner than closely arranged in order of battle. Of the immense numbers of thunnies some idea may be formed when it is stated that 300,000 or 400,000 of them are supposed every year to pass through the straits of Gibraltar. These fish are not uncommon on the western shores of Scotland, but not in shoals as in the Mediterranean.

The flesh of the thunny differs much, according to the season, and the place where it is taken; hence in Sardinia it is called by different names according with this difference. When raw it is in general red like beef, but, on being boiled, it assumes a pale colour; and when in perfection, its taste somewhat resembles that of salmon. These fish are salted, and sent, in great quantity, to Constantinople and the Greek islands. The thunny was so much esteemed by the ancient Greeks that they consecrated it to Diana.