106 THREE-BEARDED ROCKLING. 



appears from the circumstance of an example which was found 

 in the stomach of a fish caught, at the depth of forty fathoms: 

 but the rarity of such an instance tends to shew that so great 

 a distance from land is not their usual resort. It is when they 

 have reached their largest size that they become of importance 

 to fishermen on some parts of the coast, where they are valued 

 for the table by gentlemen who have learnt to esteem them as 

 a delicacy. Their station is always at the bottom, where their 

 food for the most part is the smaller crustaceans and worms; 

 but in the month of January, after stormy weather, there were 

 found in some that had been thrown on shore, entangled in 

 loose sea-weed, not only crustacean animals, but loose pieces of 

 brown sea-weed. 



This species is rather widely distributed, so that it is found 

 as far north as Sweden, and it is set down by Mr. Lowe 

 amongst the fishes of Madeira. It is also common in the 

 Mediterranean., where it has been judged to form one of the 

 fishes named by the ancients Asellus, (Pliny, B. 9, C. 23.) 

 Cuvier says that nearly all naturalists, after the example of 

 Rondeletius, have applied this name (of Asellus) to the Merlus, 

 the Gadus merlucius of Linnseus, or Hake; and he appears to 

 take credit to himself for saying that he has found only one 

 fish to which he might apply the character of the ancient 

 Asellus; and that is the present species, Motella tricirrata, or 

 Three-bearded Rockling. But on the other hand we find 

 Jonston anticipating Cuvier, in quoting Rondeletius for the 

 same opinion; and yet on referring to Rondeletius, we find him 

 limiting his remark by saying that this Rockling is the lesser 

 Asellus, or Callarias minor, and that his other kind of Asellus, 

 or Callarias bacchus, is the merlucius, or Hake. Why this last 

 kind of Asellus was called bacchus we leave to conjecture; but 

 it may have been that as it was mostly used in a salted state 

 by ordinary persons, it produced the effect of sending them 

 often to the wine shop. 



This fish spawns about the end of winter; and I have kne^vn 

 it large with spawn about the end of April. 



The Three-bearded Rockling in its general shape resembles 

 the Ling, and sometimes attains the length of fourteen inches; 

 head flattened on the top, a little compressed at the sides; under 

 jaw shortest, teeth in both, a triangular arrangement of them in 



