BLACKFISH BLACKLOC&. 



553 



ceiitly ploughed ground. At this season, they con- 

 sume an immense number of destructive insects, and, 

 it' they continued to feed on such food, they would be 

 among the farmer's chief benefactors. Towards the 

 beginning or middle of April, they begin to build 

 upon the tall pines or cedars nearest to the fields 

 whence they obtain their food. As many as ten or 

 fifteen nests have been found on the same tree. The 

 nests are about five inches in diameter, composed, ex- 

 ternally, of long stalks and knotty grass-roots, and 

 are lined with horse hair, &a The eggs are of a 

 bluish-olive hue, with large spots, and irregular 

 streaks of dark brown. The period when the green 

 blade of the young Indian corn begins to sprout above 

 the surface of the ground is that in which the common 

 crow-blackbird commences its ravages. Vast flocks, 

 chattering and screaming, as if anticipating the plea- 

 sures of the feast, descend upon the soil, and pluck 

 the swelling grain from its recess. In a few hours, 

 the careful husbandman beholds his fair prospect of 

 an ample harvest almost destroyed, and that, too, 

 with but little chance of his being able to remedy the 

 evil. It is true that the guns are commonly put in 

 requisition, and a few volleys, fired among these in- 

 solent thieves, destroy a small part of their numbers. 

 But they only change their place to other parts of 

 the field, and return ere long to renew the assault 

 with increased activity. It is riot until the month of 

 November that they begin to collect their forces, 

 now renovated and augmented by their young, to 

 seek the genial climate of the south for the winter. 

 When we consider that a very ample quantity of corn 

 is produced, notwithstanding the depredations of 

 these and other birds, and recollect the vast num- 

 ber of insects they consume before their attacks 

 upon the corn begin, we shall be inclined to agree 

 with the great ornithologist, Wilson, that the service 

 they render the cultivator by devouring the insects is 

 quite an adequate compensation for the tax they levy 

 upon the grain. If we extend our observation a little 

 further, and remark that these birds destroy the in- 

 sects before they have attained their perfect or breed- 

 ing state, and that a single fly or bug is capable of 

 laying thousands of eggs, the magnitude of the bene- 

 fit they confer upon mankind may be more accurately 

 appreciated. Nevertheless, it is perfectly right, that, 

 during their ravages upon the grain-field, they should 

 be driven off and destroyed. The extermination of 

 the species is as impossible as the wish to effect it 

 would be ridiculous. If such an event could be 

 brought about, we should speedily be convinced, that 

 the supreme Author of nature had devised all things 

 in wisdom, by discovering, that, without the aid of 

 these seemingly useless creatures, the earth would 

 be despoiled of its vegetation, and the habitations of 

 man become loathsome from the multiplication of 

 voracious and disgusting worms. 



BLACKFISH ; a species of labrus, caught on various 

 parts of the American coast, especially in the vicinity 

 of Long Island, whence large supplies are obtained 

 for the New York market. For the following parti- 

 culars concerning this valuable article of food, we 

 are indebted to Dr Mitchell's excellent paper on the 

 fishes of New York, published in the Transactions of 

 the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York. 

 The specific name given by the learned describer is 

 L. tuutog, in which he has preserved the designation 

 used by the Mohegan Indians for this fish. The 

 common name, blackfish, is bestowed on account of 

 the colour ot its back and sides, which are of a bluish 

 or crow-black ; the lips, lower jaw, neck, and belly, 

 especially in the males, are white. The mouth is ra- 

 ther small, the lips skinny or fleshy, and the teeth are 

 about twelve in number in each jaw, the two front 

 teeth being largest, and the rest of the respective 



rows gradually decreasing in sfze. Within the exter- 

 nal ranges are the points of smaller teeth, inserted 

 with rather less regularity : they are sharp, distinct, 

 and covered by the lips. The tongue is white, 

 smooth, lying close, but discoverable by raising ; tail 

 entire, and somewhat convex, the middle rays being 

 somewhat more prominent than the upper and lower 

 ones ; gill covers smooth, neither scaly, serrated, 

 nor rough ; extremities of the pectoral fins whitish ; 

 eyes rather small. The blackfish is plump in ap- 

 pearance, and is much esteemed for the table. It 

 varies in size, from two or three to ten or twelve 

 pounds. Rocks, reefs, and rough bottoms of the sea, 

 in the neighbourhood of the coasts, are the situations 

 most frequented by the blackfish, which appear to be 

 stationary inhabitants of the salt water, as they do 

 not, like the salmon, herring, &c., desert their 

 haunts to visit the fresh-water rivers. These fish are 

 caught in abundance along the whole of Long 

 Island sound, Fisher's Island sound, and in Narra- 

 gansett bay. They are also found in the southern 

 bays of Long Island, and on the ocean banks of Sandy 

 Hook. They were formerly carried overland from 

 New Port and Providence to Boston market, but are 

 now caught in Massachusetts bay in sufficient num- 

 bers to render such importation unnecessary. 



In catching blackfish, the hand line is generally 

 used, though the angle rod may often be advantage- 

 ously employed : they seize the bait greedily, at pro- 

 per seasons, and pull strongly, in proportion to their 

 size and weight. They are occasionally taken in 

 seines. The bait commonly employed is the soft 

 clam (mya), the soldier-crab or fiddler (ocypoda), or 

 the large finny worm of the salt-water beaches, 

 called nereis. As the warmth of spring comes on, 

 the blackfish begin to acquire their appetite, which is 

 suspended during the cold of winter, at which time a 

 membrane is found to form over and close up the 

 vent. They may be caught, as above stated, until 

 the warm weather becomes well advanced, when 

 such an abundance of food is to be procured as to 

 render the bait of the fisherman no longer a tempta- 

 tion. The flowering of the common dog- wood (cor- 

 nusflorida) is considered an indication of the begin- 

 ning of the fishing season ; and where this tree is not 

 to be seen, the vegetation of the chestnut tree is 

 regarded as a similar indication. These fish are 

 brought to Philadelphia market in waggons, from 

 Long Branch, &c., being packed in ice, and frozen as 

 soon as caught. 



BLACKFRIARS' BRIDGE ; one of the six fine bridges 

 of London, over the Thames, built between 1760 arid 

 1768, after a design of Mr Robert Mylne, at an ex- 

 pense of 152,840. A representation of it will be 

 found in plate XIV. There are nine arches, the 

 centre one being a hundred feet wide. The whole 

 length is 995 feet. Over each pier is a recess, sup- 

 ported by Ionic pillars. The bridge is situated at 

 about an equal distance from those of Southwark and 

 Waterloo. It commands a very fine view of St Paul's 

 cathedral, as well as of both sides of the river, includ- 

 ing the tower, the monument, Somerset house, West- 

 minster abbey, and about thirty churches. The con- 

 stant bustle on this and the London bridge is enor- 

 mous, and beyond any thing of the kind to be met 

 with in other cities. See Bridge. 



BLACKGUARD. This name was originally given to 

 the scullions and coal-carriers in great houses and 

 palaces, who, in the journeys of the families to which 

 they belonged, usually rode in the carts with the pots 

 j ml kettles. 



BLACKLOCK, Thomas, a poet, remarkable for his 

 literary attainments under the misfortune of a depri- 

 vation of sight, was born at Annan, in the county of 

 Dumfries, in 1721. His parents, who were natives 

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