206 GADITES. 



Judging, however, from analogy, we are deci- 

 dedly of the opinion that torn-cod is a corruption 

 of an Indian name, tacaud, plenty Jish, and we are 

 confirmed in this theory, from a belief that this 

 fish was undoubtedly very familiar to the aborigi- 

 nes of this section of the country, and therefore 

 known to our ancestors only by its Indian name, 

 which in process of time degenerated from tacaud 

 into tom-cod; or in other words underwent a cor- 

 ruption, which finally settled into tom-cod, — a 

 very natural sort of vulgarism with men who were 

 never ambitious to be particularly exact in the 

 pronunciation of Indian terms. 



In support of this view of the subject, respect- 

 ing the origin of the present appellation, there are 

 several edible fishes which still retain their Indian 

 names, and which bear a striking relation to ta- 

 caud, viz: — sca-paug, shortened by the fisher- 

 men into scup ; tataug, — the tautog ; and lastly, 

 pau-haug, also murdered by piscatory vandals, till 

 in these times, the fish assumes the formidable 

 cognomen of pau-ha-gen, and finally, becoming 

 still more improved, it turns out to be the menha- 

 den, the latest coined word of their vocabulary. 



The tom-cod may be recognised by three dor- 

 sal fins, two anal, three abdominal, and two pecto- 

 ral. The abdominal are small and slender, being 

 before the pectoral, as it respects the head ; un- 



