"PERFECT-MOUTHED" FISHES 231 



bers of this family, however, will devour almost anything of an 

 animal nature they can capture. They usually feed in the daytime, 

 and hunt their prey on the floor of the sea. These fishes frequent 

 temperate and cold parts of the globe ; only a few species inhabit 

 the tropical seas, and these occur in very great depths. Their 

 eyes are well developed, enabling them to see their prey at a 

 considerable distance ; and many are distinguished by having 

 one or more curious-looking barbels on the chin or lips. 



Several species are common in British waters. They are very 

 valuable food fishes, and are caught by hook and trawl. Amongst 

 the more important are the Cod (Gadus morrhiia), a large fish 

 sometimes reaching 4 feet in length and weighing about 100 Ib. ; 

 the Haddock (G. cBglefmus], the Whiting (G. merlangus), the Pollack 

 (G. pollachiiis), the Bib or Pout (G. luscus), the Hake (Merluccius 

 vulgar is), and the Ling (Molva vulgaris). 



The cuiious Bearded Rocklings (Motella) that frequent the tidal 

 pools on rocky shores belong to the Cod family ; they are strange- 

 looking fishes, distinguished by having three, four, or five prominent 

 barbels on the chin, and are called respectively the "Three- 

 bearded," "Four-bearded," and "Five-bearded" Rocklings. They 

 are ground fishes, and fond of hiding away under stones in shallow 

 water, where, on account of their dull brown hue, they are not 

 easily distinguished. Young Rocklings, however, lead a more 

 active life at the surface of the sea, and are of a bright, silvery 

 colour until they attain a length of about i| inches. 



The family SalmonidcB is noted for the beauty, gracefulness, 

 and gameness of the majority of its species. With the exception 

 of a solitary genus which occurs in New Zealand, the Salmon tribe 

 are inhabitants of the temperate and colder regions of the northern 

 hemisphere. A few species are entirely marine, living in the grea' 

 depths of the ocean ; others live in fresh water ; and some live in 

 the sea, but ascend the rivers to spawn. 



The true Salmon (S. salar) is a really splendid fish, clad in 

 smooth, glittering scales with a silver sheen. It is most wonder- 

 ully swift in its movements, and is said to dart through the water 

 at the rate of 86,400 feet in an hour. In the autumn and winter 

 the British Salmon leave the sea to deposit their spawn in the 

 quiet lakes and rivers, often traversing hundreds of miles, and 

 shooting up rapids, leaping falls and weirs with the greatest 



