NATURAL HISTORY. 



6.— GADUS CALLARIAS. 



GADUS CALLARIAS.— XacepWc, Hist. Nat. des Poissonj— vol. ii., p. 409. 

 Cuv: Reg. Anim. — vol. ii., p. 332. 

 Fuh : Fuun. Grccnl. — p. 144. 



Il-lit-toke. — Esquimaux of Boothia. 



This species of codfish is found abundantly in the Baltic, the White Sea, and along 

 the whole of the continental coast line of the north of Europe. Fabricius describes it 

 as being very numerous in many parts of Greenland; and our having found it on the 

 north coast of the American continent, along the shores of the inlet to the west of the 

 peninsula of Boothia, is an interesting feature in its history. At the same time, 

 the fact that the only four species of fish which were found by us in that inlet, being 

 also common to Davis's Strait and BafBn's Bay, may be considered an additional proof 

 (if any be still wanting) of a water communication between these two seas. It is also 

 worthy of remark, that only two of these four species inhabit the sea on the east side 

 of the isthmus of Boothia. 



From the middle of May until near the end of June the seal-fisheiy is very unpro- 

 ductive, and attended with great labour and difficulty ; the salmon do not arrive until 

 the rivers begin to pour their waters into the sea; and during the interval, the 

 Esquimaux assemble along the shores of that inlet, and procure a sure and abundant 

 supply of this fish. At that period of the year it is in very poor condition, and 

 nothing but absolute necessity could induce the natives to seek a kind of food which 

 they dislike so much. Our party had been on very short allowance of provisions pre- 

 vious to meeting the Esquimaux who were engaged in its capture, and this pro- 

 vidential supply of provisions was of essential benefit to us, and we all thought 

 it excellent food. 



It is not improbable that the three specimens of a species of Merlangus ? mentioned 

 by Captain Sabine,* as having been found frozen in the ice that covered Winter Harbour, 

 in Melville Island, belongs to this species, although from the mutilated state of the spe- 

 cimens, he was unable to determine their identity. The number of fin rays given by him 

 agree very nearly with the average of a number examined by me. It seldom much 



* Supp. to Pairy's 1st Voyage — p. ccxii. 



