THE COD FISHERIES NEAR THE LOFFODEN ISLANDS. 593 



least obauges in their shape, color, and different organs which they still 

 had to undergo before reaching maturity, this was not enough for me. 

 I had therefore to find some way of subjecting them to a closer examina- 

 tion. But how was this to be done? The places where the pollack are 

 generally found are all on that side of the ridge looking toward the 

 ocean, and are consequently exposed to its immediate influence ; only in 

 perfectly calm weather 1 could entertain the hope of meeting with sue-' 

 cess in my investigations. The depth in these places is moreover quite 

 considerable (at least 10-20 fathoms), so that even in the most ftivora- 

 ble weather it would bo a great question whether I would be able to 

 catch any young codfish with the apparatus which I had at my disposal. 

 Eesolving not to lose courage, I visited the places where the pollack 

 are found as often as the weather permitted. I had frequent occasion 

 to witness the playful gambols of the pollack, which the favorite poet of 

 these northern people, Peter Dass,* has described in so simple and true 

 a manner in his " I^ordlandske Trompet" (i^orthern Trumpet) : 



Thou gaudy pollack ! I had nearly forgotten 



To sing of thy gambols and cheerful sport .' 



How happy thou dancest at midsummer's time, 



When the sun shines warm, and the weather is calm, 



And nature gladdens the hearts of men. 



How often I saw thy sportive schools 



Change the shining surface to seething foam, 



And romp about in the waters ! 



But alas, when thy joy has reached its height 



The fisherman's net is approaching 



To take thee away in its gloomy folds 



And end thy sports with thy life! 



I was told that the pollack found its food in these places, and from 

 former observations I knew that this food, to a great extent, consisted 

 of young codfish. I was much interested to see how the pollack caught 

 the young codfish. It looked like a systematic chase, and it certainly 

 looked as if the pollack were acting with a common and well-defined pur- 

 pose. As far as I could observe, the schools of pollack surrounded the 

 little codfish on all sides, making the circle constantly narrower, till all 

 the codfish were gathered in one lump, which they then by a quick 

 movement chased up to the surface of the water. The poor little fish now 

 found themselves attacked on two sides: below, the voracious pollack 

 which in their eagerness often leaped high above the water; and above' 

 hundreds of screeching seagulls, which, with wonderful rapidity and 

 precision, pounced down upon those places where the pollack showed 

 themselves, to share the spoils with them. I, of course, did not fail to 

 make use of this chase in order to catch some of the scared young cod- 

 fash; I was, however, unsuccessful in my endeavors, although I repeat- 

 edly had my boat rowed to those places where pollack could be seen, and 

 could see how the sea-gulls caught one fish after the other at the dis- 

 t ance ol onl y two or three yards. 



* Peter Dass died 1708.— Translator's note. 

 38 P 



