THE JOHN DORY. 553 



moved, and the fish, therefore, when adhering to a moving body, takes 

 care to fix itself in such a manner that it cannot be washed off by the 

 water through which it is drawn. Even after death, or when the disc 

 is separated from the body, this curious organ can be applied to any 

 smooth object, and will hold with tolerable firmness. In order to ac- 

 commodate the disc, the upper part of the skull is flattened and rather 

 widened. 



It is a rather voracious fish, and takes the hook eagerly if baited with 

 a piece of raw flesh. When hooked, however, it is by no means secured, 

 for as soon as it feels the prick of the sharp point and the pull of the 

 line it darts to the side of the vessel, dives deeply and affixes itself so 

 strongly to the bottom that the hook may be torn out of the mouth be- 

 fore the fish will relax its hold. It is therefore necessary to draw the 

 Sucking Fish smartly out of the water as soon as it is fairly hooked, and 

 in this manner great numbers can be caught. The flesh is thought to 

 be very good, and is said to resemble that of the eel, but without its 

 richness. The color of this species is dusky brown, darker on the back 

 than on the abdomen. The fins are darker than the body, and are of a 

 dense leathery consistence. The length of this fish seldom exceeds eight 

 inches. 



The well-known John Dory, so dear to epicures, is found in the 

 British seas, and is frequently seen in the fishmongers' shops, where its 

 peculiar shape seldom fails of attracting attention even from those who 

 are not likely to purchase it or even to have seen it on the table. 



The name of John Dory is thought to be a corruption of the French 

 n?ime jaime doree, a title given to the fish on account of the gilded yel- 

 low which decorates its body. It was called Zeus by the ancients, be- 

 cause they considered it to be the king of eatable fish, and the name of 

 Faber, or " blacksmith," has probably been earned by the smoky tints 

 which cloud its back. The dark and conspicuous spots on the side are 

 thought in many places to be imprinted upon the fish as a memorial of 

 the honor conferred upon its ancestor in times past, when St. Peter took 

 the tribute-money from the mouth of the Dory, and left the print of his 

 finger and thumb as a perpetual remembrance of the event. Some per- 

 sons, however, contend that the marks are due, not to St. Peter, but St. 

 Christopher, and the Greeks, who hold to the latter tradition, call the 

 fish Christophoron. 



The flesh of the Dory is remarkably excellent, and, as it is rathei 

 improved by the lapse of twenty-four hours after the fish has been 

 taken from the sea, it is peculiarly valuable to those who live far in- 

 land and cannot hope for the more delicate fishes, which must be eaten 

 almost as soon as caught. Although a common fish, it always commands 

 a high price, and as, when cooked, the head occupies so large a space, 

 it never affords an economical dish. 



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