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in chafe of otlier fifli ; and I conceive that tliefe flat~fi(h, when pick- 

 ing up the fniall fliell-filh, do break tlieir fliells to pieces in their 

 jnoulhs (which I'ccm to me to be formed principally for that purpofc) 

 and then Iwallow tliem, rejecting thofe Ihells which are too hard for 

 tbem to break, for which reafon we never find any very hard or 

 large pieces of ihells in their Aomachs ; and it is not in the power of 

 tlie flat fiili to feparatc thefe Imailer ones from their Ibclls, bccaufe 

 they are all, as far as I have ever obferved, clofely united to them by 

 ligaments or tendons, and always keep their fliells clofely fhut. 



I have enquired of thofe Filhermen, whom I thought men of re- 

 fle61:ion, what could be the reafon why fome years ago cur flounders 

 were very indifferent, and for ihel'c laft three or four years fo exceed- 

 ing good ; for which they could not affign to me any reafon ; but 

 when I laid before them my fentiments refpecling thefe fiili being 

 fattened by feeding on the fmall fliell-fiHi, they were furprifed there- 

 at, and added, that this might very probably be the cafe. But upon 

 converfmg with two principal merchants who fend out filliing-vefilbls, 

 they not only agreed with me in my opinion, as before related, but 

 alfo in the following, namely, that not only the flat-fifh feed fo much 

 on the fmall fhell-fifli, but the whiting is fo abundantly nourifljed by 

 them, that in the fummer-time its fleO:i becomes hard and tough ; for 

 this reafon, at the time when the fliell-fifli abound on our fliores, the 

 whiting reforts thither in quell of them, and this latter is followed by 

 .the cod-fiHi, which preys on the whiting. In fliort, I conclude that 

 the plenty of fifli found on our coaft, proceeds from this caufeonly, 

 the great quantities of fliell-fiili which every year breed there. 



Towards the end of the month of February, being the firft time in 

 the fpring that Mufcles were brought to our city for fale, I caufed 

 fome of them to be bought, in order to make my obfervations there- 

 on : I found thefe to be very lean, and for a loiig time my fearch 

 after their fpawn was fruitlefs, though I could not think that the 

 time was pad for their depofiting it. 



