182 MALACOP. SUB-BRACH. COD FAMILY. 



southern range seems to be about the latitude of 

 Gibraltar, but it has never been known to enter the 

 Mediterranean. It extends very far northwards, 

 although in some of the most northern places visited 

 by navigators, it appears to be supplanted by the 

 species next to be mentioned. It occurs in profu- 

 sion, as is well known, on the shores of Newfound- 

 land, and other places on the North American 

 coast. The coasts of Norw^ay also swarm with Cod, 

 and many profitable fisheries are established there. 

 It occurs round the whole shores of Britain a- id 

 Ireland, but becomes more plentiful as we advance 

 from the south northwards. Thus the principal 

 fishing stations have hitherto been oif the Western 

 and Shetland Islands ; but, according to Mr. Yar- 

 rell, the fish have of late become more frequent in 

 the south of England, and the London fishmongers, 

 who used formerly to be supplied from Orkn(>y and 

 the north of Scotland, obtain them in sufiicicnt 

 quantities from the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coasts, 

 or even between that and London, where previously 

 very few fish could be procured. 



These fish generally inhabit deep water, from 

 twenty-five to forty or fifty fathom, and when 

 found in shallower places there must be some parti- 

 cular attraction in the supply of food. They are 

 extremely voracious, scarcely any of the smaller in- 

 habitants of the ocean coming amiss to them : small 

 fish of all kinds, mollusca, worms, and cruotacea ; 

 among the latter, crabs of considerable size are 

 found in their capacious stomachs. Nay, they fre- 



