112 



POWER. 



Poioer, Jago ; in Ray's Synopsis Piscium, p. 163, and 



a figure. 

 Gadus minutus, Linn.eus. Jenyns ; Manual, p. 444. 



Morrhua minuta, Fleming; Br. Animals, p. 191. 



" " Yabrell; Br. Fishes, vol. ii, p. 241. 



" " GuNTHER; Cat. Br. Museum, vol. iv, p. 335. 



I AM not able to refer to Willougliby and Bloch for this 

 fish, since their figures of Asellus minor bear little resemblance 

 to the Power; and the fish called Capelan by Rondeletius, and 

 by subsequent writers who refer to him, is still less like the 

 British species. 



The name by which this fish is known by us is believed to 

 be an ancient form of the word poor; in proof of which we 

 find in a document of the reign of Henry the Eighth, the Avords 

 powre and pore used instead of poor; but this fish is inferior 

 to others of this family only as being much smaller, on which 

 account it is chiefly employed as bait for other fish. 



There is much similarity in the habits of the Bib and Power, 

 as there is also in shape. Both prefer rough or rocky ground, 

 from which they do not wander to a considerable distance; and 

 the last named fish maintains so close an attachment to its 

 favourite haunts that fishermen have informed me they only 

 leave the place, and that in a body, about the month of April, 

 when it is supposed they have sought out a proper spot for 

 the purpose of spawning. It is further observed that when 

 the Bib and Power inhabit the same ledge of rocks they do 

 not associate together, but the Powers keep at their stations 

 lower down, where the rocks rise from the level, while Bibs 

 prefer the higher portion. And again, while Bibs are sometimes 

 found in submarine gullies, the Power is very rarely caught in 

 the same situation. During the fishery for crabs they are not 

 unfrequently found in the crab-pots; and in autumn they are 



