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GEN. MERLANGUS. THE COALFISH. 1 97 



" Trolling with the white feather has this recom- 

 anendation, that it may be enjoyed by an invalid or 

 party of ladies — and, certainly a more delightful 

 way of spending the cool of a summer evening 

 cannot be imagined ; rowing slowly along those 

 romantic shores, — hearing the distant gurgle of the 

 dwindled mountain-brook in its steep descent, and 

 ever and anon passing the blue curling smoke of a 

 shepherd's or fisherman's grass-topped hut upon the 

 banks." * 



(Sp. 155.) M. corhonarius. The Coalfish. When 

 full grown this is a fish of rather handsome form, 

 the small tapering head, general outline, and forked 

 tail, almost reminding us of the elegant proportions 

 of the Salmon.t The last mentioned character, in 

 connexion with the straight lateral line, distinguishes 

 it not only from all the other species of this genus, 

 but even of this family, at least considered as Bri- 

 tish. J Although the ordinary colour of the upper 

 parts is brown or dusky, yet they sometimes be- 

 come deep black, and it is this that has caused it to 

 be called the Coal-fish. In almost all northern seas 

 it is frequent, and in some it abounds. It was the 

 only fish found by Lord Mulgrave on the shores of 

 Spitzbergen, and was noticed by Parry in Davis 



* Colquhoun's Moor and Loch, p. 135. 



+ In some parts of the country, Coalfish are actually named 

 Black Salmon. 



X The Gadus fmxatus of Swainson, a Sicilian species, has 

 the tail deeply forked. See Lard. Cye. Fishes, voL i. p. 318, 

 fig. 71. 



