( ^» ) 



that Herrings not only iced on I'mall filhcs, and even on their 

 own eggs, but that, when ui-ged by hunger, they will I'wallow any 

 thing they meet with. 



Sinee then we fee, that the fnialler filh, and elpeeially Herrings, 

 which take lb little fooil at a time, that it is the vulgar o])inion, be- 

 caule their Itoinaohs are not di (tended like thole ot" other lilh, that 

 they live entirely without food, do yet become very fat; when, 

 on the contrary, cod and other tilh, \\ hich fometimes have, at one 

 time, as many as six lliell-lilh in their llomachs, have, neverthelefs, 

 no particles of fat, either between the tlelli} parts, or in the intelt- 

 ines, except tlie liver: What, I alk, is the conclufion to be drawn 

 from hence ? Surely (with I'ubmiliion to better judgment), no other 

 than this : that thofe kind of tilh have no veins or velfels adapted 

 to fecrete tlie tat tVom the food which is digelled in the lU)mach 

 or intcllines, and much lefs any vcllels to fecrete tlie fat be- 

 tween the tlelhy parts. 



But fmee cod, haddocks, and other filh of the like kind, are 

 deftitntc of velfels to leparate the particles of fat, and yet are ah\'ays 

 able to get a large liipply of food, fuch a quantity of nourilh- 

 ment is conveyed to the rielhv parts of their bodies, that they 

 become fo hard and dry (I mean at the time ^\ hen their roes tirll 

 begin to fwell, which is in the fummer), that they are quite inlipid 

 to the palate, and, tlierefore are laid to be out of lealbn, m hereas, 

 it Ihould more properly be laid, that they are tlien too much fed, 

 or have taken too much nourilhment ; but, when the roes in thefe 

 filh begin to incrcafe. fo that in a few weeks, they mull be depolited, 

 fo much of the nourilhment palfes into the roes that the hardnefs of 

 the flelhy parts is diminilhed, and then thofe lilh again become 

 talleful to the palate, and are, tlierefore, faid to be in feafon. 



Now, as the larger lilh are fed and nourillied by devouring the 

 fmaller ones, I have often thought, m hether minute cod-lilhes, or 

 otl.er tilh, when firll come forth from the eggs, may not teed on 

 tliofe exceeding minute filhcs, or animalcules, \\hich are found in 



