FISHES. 44.1 



been employed in increasing their catalogues ; and the reader, 

 instead of observations or facts, is presented with a long list of 

 names, that disgust him with their barren superfluity. It must 

 displease him to see the language of science increasing, while 

 the science itself has nothing to repay the increasing tax laid 

 upon his memory. 



Most fish offer us the same external form ; sharp at either 

 end, and swelling in the middle ; by which they are enabled to 

 traverse the fluid which they inhabit, with greater celerity and 

 ease. That peculiar shape which Nature has granted to most 

 fishes, we endeavour to imitate in such vessels as are designed 

 to sail with the greatest swiftness ; however, the progress of a 

 machine moved forward in the water by human contrivance, is 

 nothing to the rapidity of an animal destined by nature to reside 

 there. Any of the large fish overtake a ship in full sail with 

 great ease, play round it without eifort, and outstrip it at pleasure. 

 Every part of the body seems exerted in this despatch ; the fins, 

 the tail, and the motion of the whole back-bene, assist progres- 

 sion ; and it is to that flexibility of body at which art cannot 

 arrive, that fishes owe their great velocity. 



The chief instrument in a fish's motion, are the fins, which, 

 in some fish, are much more numerous than in others. A fish 

 completely fitted for sailing, is furnished with not less than two 

 pair ; also three single fins, two above and one below. Thus 

 equipped, it migrates with the utmost rapidity, and takes voy- 

 ages of a thousand leagues in a season. But it does not alvvava 

 happen that such fish as have the greatest number of fins have 

 the swiftest motion ; the shark is thought to be one of the 

 swiftest swimmers, yet it wants the ventral or belly fins ; the 

 haddock does not move so swift, yet it is completely fitted for 

 motion. 



But the fins serve not only to assist the animal in progression, 

 but in rising or sinking, in turning, or even leaping out of the 

 Witter. To answer these purposes, the pectoral fins serve, like 

 oars, to push the animal forward ; they are placed at some little 

 distance behind the opening of the gills ; they are generally large 

 and strong, and answer the same purposes to the fish in the 

 water, as wings do to a bird in the air. With the help of these, 

 and by their continued motion, the flying fish is sometimes seen 

 to rise out of the water, and to fly above a hundred yards ; till, 



