A AW THE FISH THEREOF. 



un porto), a circumstance which may account— though offering no excuse — 

 for the covetousness with which the possession of this coast is viewed by the 

 restless, ambitious, and ever-watchful neighbour to the west. 



The eastern flank of I stria partakes of the characteristics of the Italian 

 shores, being exposed alike to the fury of the Bora and the full force of the 

 Scirocco, and is consequently much less hospitable than the western coast 

 of the peninsula. There are other points of the Austrian- Hungarian 

 seaboard, such as the Gulf of Trieste, the Channel of Maltempo or 

 Morlacca (Ouarnero), the Bocche di Segna further south, and the Bay of 

 Yrulja (between Almissa and Macarsca on the Dalmatian coast), which 

 are specially subject to the vehemence of the Bora, and thus form so many 

 exceptions to the rule. 



The tides 1 are inconsiderable, the normal rise and fall being only \\ foot, 

 and only one ebb and flow in 24 hours ; the spring tide is 2 feet in excess, 

 thus giving a maximum of 5-6 feet. The greatest ebb is in February, the 

 greatest flood in September ; they are also affected by the winds, the Bora 

 depressing, whilst the Scirocco swells, the waters. The currents {Corrcnti) 

 are numerous, and keep the water in constant circulation, thus acting as 

 modifiers of the effects of climate, and influencing by their agency the 

 diffusion of submarine life. 



There is a constant current along the eastern or Dalmatian coast in a 

 northerly direction, returning along the western or Italian coast in a southerly 

 direction ; this current is necessarily subject to local influences, such as the 

 interposition of islands, which neutralise its effects, without, however, 

 seriously affecting its course. It does not affect the water in greater depths 

 than 3 to 4 fathoms, and it is generally met with 6 or 10 miles from the 

 shore, according to the formation of the coast. Beyond that point the sea 

 is often very rough, without any visible cause, a phenomenon which has 



1 //. Marea. At Venice, the tides, which are called there by the names of Ceuinte and 

 Desana, do not, as a rule, exceed a few inches, excepting under the influence of a strong 

 Scirocco wind, when the waters are known to rise 1-4 feet beyond the average limit, over- 

 flowing the dikes, inundating the town, and damaging the fishing-ponds (valli). 



B 2 



