CH. VI.] FISH OFF THE SCOTCH COAST. 83 



ages); the Sea-bream (Scotice, on West coast, 

 "Silver Haddie,") strong in the water, brilliant of 

 eye, and hard to handle; the Skate, whose face 

 when turned on his back presents a most ludicrous 

 resemblance to that of a crying child; and the 

 hideous Sea Devil, all mouth and fins, looking 

 like a cross between a toad and a night-jar. Spe- 

 cimens of rarer fishes are too occasionally met 

 with. Last year, for instance, I took out of a 

 Lobster-trap a Three-bearded Rockling, as men- 

 tioned below (page 86), and this year (1859) on 

 a long line one of that remarkable and fantastic 

 looking species, the Gemmous Dragonet, seven 

 inches in length. 



As you leave the shelter of the lochs, and stand 

 out farther into the open sea, the varieties of fish 

 which you will bring up become more largely in- 

 creased, and commonly embrace Haddock, Tusk, 

 Ling, Conger-eels, and Nurse (" Small Spotted Dog- 

 fish," Yarrell), (though the three latter also often 



used to denote one growth of the Coal-fish, and Saithe an- 

 other, yet in some places the half-grown fish are called Saithe 

 and the full-grown ones Sillock, &c., whilst in others, and more 

 generally, the reverse is the case. As compared with Salmon 

 the three growths of Cuddy, Sillock or Stenlock, and Saithe, 

 would very nearly, in weight as in other points, correspond to 

 Salmon-fry, Grilse, and Salmon. 



G2 



