348 LABRADOR 



squirming fish ashore, there to be swallowed alive. The 

 dab's hope of safety lies in escaping notice, and this he does 

 whenever he is at rest. He flaps about till he settles in the 

 mud; the mud which he has stirred up falls again, and 

 covers all but his eyes and nose. At largest, the fish 

 reaches twenty inches in length, and weighs up to two 

 pounds. He remains all winter. As he is the first fish to 

 be taken when our ice goes, he is speared by the boys, and, 

 when food is short, cooked and eaten. But herring so soon 

 follow the departure of the ice that even in this season the 

 dab is seldom used. Visitors, however, esteem him highly 

 whenever the native cook will condescend to prepare him 

 for table. Probably it is the ugly face with huddled-up eyes 

 and distorted mouth that tells here against his popularity. 



The cause of his ugliness is explained elsewhere by a 

 strange legend. It is said that when the fish were sum- 

 moned to settle who should be king, the plaice was late, 

 delaying to paint on some of his beautiful red spots. When 

 he heard the election was already over, his mouth so twisted 

 in disdain it never came straight again. A still older legend 

 accounts for his being coloured only on one side. It runs 

 that Moses, having caught one, proceeded to cook it over 

 an oil lamp, but when one side was broiled and grilled, 

 threw the fish into the sea. 



The winter fluke (Pseudo-pleuronectes Americanus) , the 

 cousin of the dab, closely resembles him in size and ap- 

 pearance, and is found here, as he is all along the North 

 America coast, south to Cape Cod. 



The lump-fish (Cyclopterus lumpus) is very common with 

 us, but is practically useless. We have been too stupid 

 to find a use for him, except as a fertilizer. He has de- 



