SUB-BRACHIAN MALACOPTERYGII. 155 



at the head of all fishes for commercial importance, 

 its pursuit, cure, and transport, affording occupation 

 to many % thousands of families, and whole fleets of 

 ships, and proving an invaluable nursery for expert 

 and hardy seamen. Throughout the northern At- 

 lantic it is most abundant, on the European as well 

 as the American side, and in fecundity it probably 

 exceeds every other species, the overwhelming num- 

 ber of nine millions of eggs having been found in 

 the roe of a single female ! A great number of 

 Cod-fish are taken around our own coast, to supply 

 the extensive home demand ; but it is from the 

 coast of Newfoundland and Labrador that the enor- 

 mous quantities of dried Cod are chiefly drawn, 

 which are transported so extensively to the Papal 

 countries of southern Europe. 



A few notes of the shore fishery of Newfound- 

 land we can give from a personal observation of 

 several years, which we do the more readily, be- 

 cause little is known of this fishery as it now exists, 

 the published accounts being all out of date. The 

 fish are caught almost exclusively in the bays and 

 off the headlands of the island, the Bank fishery 

 having been of late years almost wholly neglected, 

 at least by the English. The shore catch com- 

 mences about the end of May; boats, varying in 

 size from that of a small skiff to twenty-five tons, 

 proceed to the fishing-ground usually in the night, 

 where each is moored with a grapnel, or small an- 

 chor. The hands at once proceed to bait and drop 

 their hooks, which are sunk by a leaden weight. 



