520 THE HAKE. 



would appear to fail, it is an exceedingly voracious fish 

 and is readily taken by the hook. It lives chieily on other 

 fish, and is said to bite asunder even more than it devours. 

 It is also related that when the line is about to be dra\\n 

 out of the water, it disgorges event bin- previously 

 swallowed, for the purpose, as the fishermen believe, of 

 making itself lighter. Its excessive rapacity has probably 

 given rise to the story told by Strom, that, "On a certain 

 occasion no fewer than three hakes were captured on 

 one and the same hook, which found its way through 

 their several bellies as the fish were gorged by each other 



in succession. 



According to Professor Sundcvall, the Hake spawns in 



O 



the end of July, or beginning of August. The fishermen 

 say there is only a single locality in the whole of the 

 Cattegat where these fish congregate in any great numbers 

 for that purpose, and which, in consequence, is called 

 "Kunnnel-yrinul" or hake-bank. The spot in question, 

 which is of very limited extent, consists of sand and small 

 stones, and the depth of water is from sixteen to twenty- 

 four feet. Here in the season hundreds of boats, each 

 usually containing a crew of throe men, may often be seen 

 collected. The baits used arc mackerel and herring; and 

 if the hakes In- abundant the vessel may be loaded, we are 

 told, " in the course of the forenoon." 



The Hake is a very capricious fish. According to 

 Hollberg, they were so abundant in the Cattegat about 

 the year 1780, that more were captured than could be 

 converted to use. Afterwards they became very scarce, 

 but from 1801 to 1808 they once more appeared in 

 tolerable plenty, and several hundred barrels were salted. 

 Anain they became rare, so much so, that it was not until 

 after the lapse of several year- that he \\as enabled to 

 procure a specimen for scientific purposes. About the 

 \ear ]^:{o, they were once more pretty common; but 



