Ch.TX. south AMERICA. 409 



As to the rpccies diilingiiifVied by their fize, the ftanti- 

 ard cod is that which is two feet in length with the head 

 off. The fecond is imaller, called the middling : the 

 third is the leait. The dealers in this commodity how- 

 ever fubdivide it into feven or eight kinds: one of thefe 

 is a fiOi in the opening of which, or in fevering the 

 head, fome fank has been co "íinútted. 



Another kind of filhery ; but followed more by 

 the French than any other nation, is that of the 

 Mud-hih: and they cure it in the following manner. 

 This fiih is caught on the great, bank of Newfound- 

 land ; and others as far as fandy iiland fouch of L'iile 

 Royale: and as foon as it is caught it is opened, faited, 

 and laid in litde piles in the hold of the ihip, till it has 

 fufficiently purged ; then they fhift its place, and hav- 

 ing faited it a fecond time, ftow it for the voyage. 

 The ihips intending for this filhery, repair to the bank 

 in the beginning of February : as that caught in fum- 

 mer, that is, after June or July, or any of the banks, 

 is inferior to that caught at the end of winter, thefe 

 ihips finiih their fifliery and return to Europe with 

 luch difpatch, that fometimes they are known to 

 make two voyages in a year. For it is the fouth part 

 of the bank that this fiih chiefly haunts : and thefe 

 likewife are accounted be iter than thofe taken on the 

 north. 



The cod appears to be one of the moft prolifick 

 kind of fiih. Of this there needs no other proof 

 than the great number of ihips which annually load 

 with it only from this ifland: and it is only known in 

 ti cic ieasj for though the Britifh channel and th? Ger- 

 man ocean are not without this fi:h, their i. umbers are 

 fo inconfidcrable comparatively to tho^e of Newfound- 

 land, tiiat chey may rather be looked upon as llrag- 

 glers. Some perfons of long experience in this fifhcry, 

 informed us that the ccd fpawns twice a yeari and 

 befides the infinite number of their animajfculie, it is 



very 



