146 THE COMMERCIAL SEA FISHES OF 



The quality of its flesh differs in accordance with the waters 

 it inhabits. Among the East Frieslanders, where the sea 

 is very muddy and shallow, it is thought to be so unwhole- 

 some as to excite fever ; but with us it may vie with the 

 cod, the best being taken off the Irish coast. 



Diseases. In the record into the state of the salmon 

 fisheries in 1825, it appears from the Parliamentary report 

 that about thirty years previously so great was the havoc 

 among these fish that ships had sailed through many 

 leagues of the North Sea where the surface was covered 

 with dead haddocks, and for several subsequent years it 

 was a rare fish .in those localities. Mr. Hood (Land and 

 Water, March 22nd, 1869) remarked having some years 

 previously paid a visit to Dagenham Reach, in Essex, and 

 having noticed not very far from where he was standing 

 some rooks that appeared to be feeding at the edge of the 

 water. On reaching the spot he saw a large haddock of 

 about 4 Ibs. weight nearly dead, without eyes, which the 

 rooks had pecked out. Further on were other haddocks 

 without their eyes, some were quite dead and others nearly 

 so. On making enquiries of the keeper, he stated that those 

 haddocks came out of the Thames into that brackish water 

 to spawn at that time of the year, and that after they had 

 spawned they were so weak and feeble that they lay on the 

 surface, and the wind gradually wafted them to the shore. 

 The rooks took advantage of this, and attacked them. 



Habitat.-r-From the Arctic portion of Europe, having a 

 range very similar to the cod. In February and March it 

 appears to be most abundant off the shores of Northern 

 Europe, while in the autumn it is usually plentiful off Hol- 

 land, East Friesland and Heligoland. It is found in 

 varying numbers round the British Isles, and along the 

 Atlantic shores of France. In the western hemisphere it 





