COMMON SKA-CAT. 



9M 



^o 



pose than the luasticatoiy organs of" the Sea-cat, i)ro- 

 vidcd that iu addition to the crushing of tlic hard sub- 

 stances it is not required that they should be ground fine. 

 Of tlie |)o\ver of tlie jaws one nm}' con^•ince oneself 

 by oiieiiing tlie stomach, which may l)e chock-full of 

 crushed, tliick-shelled mussels. Tlie food of the Sea- 

 cat consists chiefly of mussels and other shell-fish. It 

 eats them in great tjuantities, and ihc thin-walled in- 

 testine is often full of thin shells, it does not despise 

 the larger crustaceans — it seems to be especially fond 

 of large hermit-crabs — sea-urchins and star-fish, with 

 which the seas where it lives, abound; but apparently 

 leaves its companion fishes in peace, being perhaps of 

 too sluggish temperament to trouble them. It seems 

 hardly probable that the Sea-cat attacks other creatures 

 than those of wdiich its food is composed; but in Olsen's 

 PiscfiforiaJ Atlas (1883) divers are warned against meddl- 

 ing with this fish in the water, as in that case they 

 cannot avoid being assailed by it; and in Brown-Goode 

 {Fisheries and Fishery Industries of Unit. States, sect. 

 I, p. 249) we read that the Sea-cat is known to have 

 attacked persons wading at low-tide in the shore-pools 

 among the rocks at Eastport, iMaine. 



The Sea-cat, which in Norway bears the name of 

 Steenbider (Stone-biter), occurs along the whole west 

 coast of Scandinavia, from the Sound to the extreme 

 north of Norway. It also lives on the Murmanian coast 

 and in the White Sea, and is common in Iceland and 

 Greenland. On the American side of the Atlantic it 

 has been found as far south as Cape Hatteras. (_)n the 

 European side it is common in the North Sea, but 

 becomes rare on the west coast of France. It seldom 

 enters the Baltic, but has been found in the neighbour- 

 hood of Sti-alsund, in Kiel Bay and off Traveraiinde 

 (MijB., Hoke). On the west coast of Sweden it cannot 

 be regarded as rare; but as it leads a solitary life, it 

 is nowhere taken in large numbers, only few specimens 

 being occasionally caught. That it is a stationary fish 

 in Sweden, appears from the fact that it is taken all 

 the vear round, thouirh oftenest, according to ^Ialm, 



from Marcli to ^lay, according to Fries, from May 

 to June. 



The long, soft body, tapering tail and small caudal 

 fin of tlie Sea-cat probably render it a poor long- 

 distance swimmer. Its movements too, are sinuous, 

 like those of the Eel, and in genei-al slow. It keeps 

 close to the bottom, generally at a depth of from 10 

 to 25 fathcjuis, hidden among stones or seaweed. It is 

 fond of lying still, with the body doubled up. The 

 spawning-season is stated to occur in spring, the time 

 of year when it is oftenest taken. 



There is no special fishery for this fish. Tlie Sea- 

 cats which are occasionally taken, are generally caught 

 on tlie hooks used in Cod-fishing, sometimes in nets 

 and also iu the Herring-seine. In spite of the fact 

 that their smell is highly repulsive to most people and 

 their appearance by no means prepossessing, they are a 

 favourite article of food among the fishermen of Bohus- 

 l:ln, who alwaj'S regard a Sea-cat as a good catch, and 

 its liver, in particular, as a delicacj'. "Stewed and pre- 

 pared like the Burbot, the Sea-w^olf (hafsvarff)," as 

 Hollberg called it, "is very good, and in flavour can 

 scarcel}' be distinguished from the former ... On Oroust 

 and Tjorn the peasants make a kind of porridge of the 

 hafskiise" (Sea-king, as it is called on these islands). 

 In the towns there is less demand for it, and it is 

 therefore more seldom offered for sale. However, not 

 only the flesh, but also the strong skin is of compara- 

 tively high value. 



When caught, the Sea-cat must be handled care- 

 full)', at the risk of a bite from its powerful jaws; and 

 it keeps firm hold of whatever object it has once got 

 between its teeth. On this account the fisherman gener- 

 ally gives it its death-blow^ before he ventures to free 

 it from the hook. In some places it is the custom to 

 cho}) off the snout at the eyes, before exjwsing the fish 

 for sale, as the hunter cuts off the head of the hare 

 he has shot, before taking it home. In the London 

 fish-markets the Sea-cat, skinned and with the head 

 cut off, is often oft'ered for sale. (Fries, Smitt.) 



