THE COt>. 36 



and yellow. The blue in particular is inconceivably 

 beautiful, and shines with all the lustre of the sap- 

 phire. The throat is black, and the membranes of its 

 fms are delicately thin. Pontoppidan calls this spe- 

 cies the flying fish; but whether it makes use of its 

 fins as the means of elevating itself in the air, is a cir- 

 cumstance which has not yet been ascertained. This 

 fish is found in all the different latitudes from Spitz- 

 bergen to the Mediterranean, and is not uncommon 

 on the Yorkshire coast. 



From this exhibition of brilliancy^ in a tribe of the 

 puny race, I shall now, my dear Sir, as I have al- 

 ready hinted, call your attention to a display of com- 

 mercial utility existing in another^ of this numerous 

 class. 



i THE COD 



is a most extensive genus, including a variety of well- 

 known and useful fishes; and is so commonly seen in 

 our markets, that little need be said of it" by way of 

 description. It is short in proportion to its bulk. Its 

 colour cinerous on the back, and white on the belly. 

 There are, however, in this fish, many varieties, in 

 regard to colour as well as size; but all are distin- 

 guished by an unfurcated tail, three soil fins on the 

 back, the'ventral fins slender and pointed, and a sort 

 of small beard at the extremity of the lower jaw. 



The famous fishing banks of Newfoundland, and 

 those which He olVCape Breton, appear to be the tops' 

 of vast chains of submarine mountains, extending 

 above five hundred miles in length, and surrounded 

 with deep seas. These extensive shallows are, by 

 the resort of the cod fish, rendered, if not intrinsi- 

 cally* at least ultimately, of more value to Great Bri-* 

 tain than the mines of Potosi are to Spain. Previous 

 to the discovery of the banks of Newfoundland, the 

 seas of Iceland, and those which surround the He- 

 brides, contained the principal, ruid almost the only 

 cod fisheries, and were in consequence the grand re- 

 sort of ships from most commercial countries. 



The fishing season on the banks of Newfoundland 

 cfommences about February, and eudsinMay; th. 



