1'2(> THE NATURAL HISTORY OF 



own coasts, instances sometimes occur of specimens far ex- 

 ceeding- the general size of the rest. The colour of this 

 fish, on the upper parts, as far as the lateral line, is a very 

 deep blue, accompanied with a varying tinge of green, and 

 marked by numerous black transverse streaks, which in the 

 male are nearly straight, but in the female beautifully undu- 

 lated ; the jaws, gill covers, and abdomen, are of a bright 

 silver colour, with a slight varying coat of gold-green along 

 the sides, which are in general well marked in the direction 

 of the lateral by a row of long dusky spots ; the scales are 

 very small, oval, and transparent ; the finnules or spurious 

 fins are small, and are five in number both afore and be- 

 low.* The shape of the mackerel is highly elegant, and it 

 is justly considered as one of the most beautiful of the Euro- 

 pean fishes. Its merit as an article of food is universally 

 established, and it is one of those fishes which have main- 

 tained their reputation through a long series of ages, hav- 

 ing been highly esteemed by the ancients, who prepared 

 from it the particular condiment or sauce known to the 

 Romans by the name of Garum, and made by salting the 

 fish, and after a certain period straining the liquor from it. 

 This preparation, once so famous, has been long super- 

 ceded by the introduction of the anchovy for similar pur- 

 poses. 



There are twenty-two species of the mackerel, but this is 

 the only one found in the Arctic Regions. The mackerel 

 is easily snared by a variety of baits ; but the capture is said 

 to succeed best in a gentle gale of wind, hence the term a 

 " Mackerel Gale:' 



* There is not a fish which exceeds the mackerel in the brilliancy of its 

 colours, or in the elegance of its shape. The fine deep blue upon its back 

 is crossed by many streaks, and accompanied by a tinge of green, which 

 varies as the fish changes its position. The bright silver colour of the 

 abdomen, and the varying tinge of gold-green which runs along the 

 sides, are eminently beautifully in this species ; but are only to be seen 

 to perfection when it is first taken out of the water, as death impairs the 

 colours.— JVood's Zoography, vol.ii. p. 170. 



