176 



lusk in its stomach. The bivalve shell is found, and the bank 

 clam is very common in the stomach, the shells being placed 

 within each other in the most compact manner, when there are 

 several of them in that organ. 



In some other ground swimmers, both bivalve and univalve 

 mollusks are found. The haddock, ling, catfish, and one species 

 of flounder are great shell-eaters, and very frequently undescribed 

 species of moUusca are taken in their stomachs. 



The cod lives mostly upon live fish. It is very greedy, and 

 even when distended with food, it will bite briskly at the hook. 

 It is frequently taken with a full-grown mackerel partly in its 

 stomach and partly in its mouth, with the tail still projecting. At 

 other times, when the alimentary sack is empty, it appears to 

 have no desire to partake of food. When kept alive in the holds 

 of vessels, no other nourishment is given the cod than the minute 

 animalcules contained in the water. A very curious fact Mr. 

 Atwood stated that he had observed, — the cod often swallows 

 alive the tant or sand-eel and the pipe-fish, both having heads 

 very much elongated anteriorly and pointed. These fish some- 

 times pierce the stomach of the cod and escape into the abdomi- 

 nal cavity, and there they are found in a perfect state of preser- 

 vation, adherent to its walls, but changed in color to a dark red, 

 and in substance so hard that they are not readily divided with 

 a knife. They have to be cut away before the cod can be split 

 open. The fish is always in good health apparently, and there 

 are no marks of inflammation about the stomach or abdominal 

 cavity, unless the material of attachment be considered as such. 



Fish migrate considerable distances in quest of prey, sometimes 

 totally deserting localities where they have been very abundant. 

 There is a species of crustacean called commonly by fishermen 

 the sea-flea, which infests spots upon the Grand Banks, hun- 

 dreds of square miles in extent, and which drives before it the 

 cod and other fish. During his last voyage to the Banks, Capt. 

 Atwood tried to fish with clam bait, which, however, came up 

 untouched ; he then put on menhaden for bait and lowered to 

 the bottom, but upon raising the hook nothing was found but 

 the skeleton of the fish, the soft parts having been consumed 

 by the sea-flea. 



