CHAPTER Xin. 



The Tomcod — Microgadus tomcodus — Gill. 



The tomcod is a small fish, a member of the cod family, and is 

 caught in large quantities about New York wharves in summer and 

 fall. The tomcod seldom reaches a weight of half a pound, (?) attain- 

 ing its maximum growth about the time of early frost. It is a 

 lively little fish and gives great sport to the small anglers about the 

 metropolis. It has the exact shape and form of the codfish, only in 

 coloration and marking it is far handsomer. I have taken a tomcod 

 from the clear waters of Harlem Kills in the month of September, 

 which, when it was landed on the float at my feet, had a bright 

 golden color with a tinge of red. The eye of the tomcod is promi- 

 nent and reddish in color. The fins are large, excessively so con- 

 sidering the size of the fish, and are as soft as wet paper. 



He is a gamier fish than his deep sea cousin, and if in large quan» 

 titles gives great enjoyment. The largest " tommy " I ever caught — 

 and it was the biggest one I ever saw — was about twelve inches long 

 and weighed a little over half a pound. The tomcod is not such a 

 bad fish to eat as some would suppose who had bought them from 

 some fishmonger's stall where the ice had taken the flavor out of 

 them days before. Like all soft-fleshed fishes the tomcod must be 

 cooked and eaten immediately on taking it from the water. 



The very large ones are not so good as the little ones, and when 

 an unusual catch has been made and the fish dealers are anxious to 

 dispose of the perishable stock, they give the tomcod other names, 

 such as " frostfish " and " London trout," and often impose upon the 



