336 FISHES AND FISHING. 



mouth, very wide ; teeth, long, sharp, in a single row 

 in each jaw. Two dorsal fins, first three angular ; 

 caudal fin, lunate; ventral, ovate, with five rays. 

 No barbel under the chin. Scales, large. Upper part 

 of the body, dusky brown, with a bluish, steel- 

 coloured gloss; belly, dirty white. Iris, yellow. 

 Inside of mouth, black. Length, from two to three 

 feet. 



It is remarkable that this fish, a notorious deni 

 zen of the European seas, was utterly unknown at 

 the Cape of Good Hope before the earthquake of 

 1809 (4th December). At first it was scarce, and 

 sold at exorbitant prices, 4s. 6d. Since that period, 

 it has yearly increased in numbers, and is now a 

 standard fish on the market, being caught in great 

 abundance. 



English writers on Ichthyology comment very un 

 favourably on its merits, and call it a coarse fish, 

 scarcely fit for the dinner table. At the Cape, its 

 qualities are generally and fully appreciated ; in fact, 

 its flesh is highly delicate, and but little inferior to 

 that of the Hadok (Gadus ^glefinus}. At times, it 

 makes its appearance in large shoals; it is then 

 abundantly caught, salted, and dried for exportation. 

 The cured, or dried Cape Stock-visch, is an excel 

 lent dish, far superior to that insipid stuff introduced 

 from Holland or other countries. 



