TIDAL WATER FISHES 



when they rose to the surface. The haddock is 

 not an angler's fish, being, like the cod, only 

 sought for commercial purposes, although it is 

 occasionally seen in the upper tidal waters. 



The cusk or salt-water ling, often so-called 

 (Brosme brosme, a Danish vernacular name for 

 the fish), is also a market fish, yet caught with 

 hook and line in comparatively shallow water. 

 The commercial fishermen assign to it a singular 

 trait : it is said that, when on the hook, they curl 

 their tails around the angle of a rock, which renders 

 their capture difficult, and causes destruction of 

 fishing tackle. The cusk or ling should not be 

 confused, as often happens, with the fresh-water 

 ling, burbot, or lake-lawyer, which is purely an 

 inland fish resembling the cusk in general appear- 

 ance, both having rounded tails and an extended 

 dorsal fin and a barbel or "feeler." They may, 

 however, be easily differentiated — the lake-lawyer 

 has two fins on its back, the cusk but one. 



The hakes are large cod-like fishes of voracious 

 habits, and are but little valued as food, and sel- 

 dom, if ever, visit the upper tidal waters, although 

 the young are frequently taken while swimming 

 near the surface, in mid-summer, on the southern 

 coast of New England. 



In addition to the species of the cod and cod- 

 263 



