58 LECTURE VIII. 



ing the spines of its fin ; and so painful is the 

 wound, that a general belief still prevails of its 

 being accompanied by a kind of poison ; but it 

 is certain that the spines of the fin are not tubular, 

 nor is any fish known to contain any real or pro- 

 per poisonous fluid ; though several become poi- 

 sonous by feeding on acrimonious substances, and 

 being eaten without proper precautions. 



To the jugular fishes belongs a numerous 

 genus entitled Gadus or Codfish, containing not 

 only the Common Codfish, but the Haddock, the 

 Ling, the Burbot, and a great variety of others. 

 The chief character of this genus is that the ven- 

 tral fins are slender, and terminate in a point, 

 and that the back- fins are two or three in number. 

 The Common Codfish is a native of the northern 

 seas, where it resides in immense shoals, and 

 performs various migrations at stated seasons, vi- 

 siting in succession the different coasts both of 

 Europe and America. The chief fishery is about 

 the sand-banks of Newfoundland, which are de- 

 scribed as constituting a vast submarine mountain 

 of above five hundred miles long, and near three 

 hundred broad* Our own country enjoys the 

 greatest share of this fishery, which is carried on 



