50 CATECHISM OF 



and even shellfish, are its ordinary food, and so 

 strong is its digestion, that even the very .shells it 

 swallows are almost wholly dissolved. 



Q. Where is the most important fishery for Cod? 

 A. The most important fishery for Cod is on the 

 great sandbank, near Newfoundland. This sand- 

 bank, or elevation at the bottom of the sea, is above 

 five hundred miles long and three hundred broad, 

 and thither these fishes resort in immense multi- 

 tudes. At the proper season great numbers of 

 ships are employed in this fishery, which is all car- 

 ried on by the hook and line ; the fish, when taken, 

 are cleansed, salted, and dried, and in this state 

 sent to almost every part of the world. 



Q. How may Gadus ^Eglifinus be distinguished ? 

 A. Gadus ^Eglifinus, or the Haddock, may be 

 distinguished from the rest of this genus, by having 

 a forked tail, and the lower jaw longer than the 

 upper ; its colour is silvery, and it has a black spot 

 on each side, above the pectoral fins. It is in ge- 

 neral from eighteen inches to two feet in length, 

 but it sometimes attains to a much greater size. 

 Q. Where is the Haddock chiefly found ? 

 A. The Haddock is a native of the northern 

 seas, but at stated seasons it visits particular coasts. 

 An immense shoal, three or four miles in length, 

 and nearly as many in breadth, visits the coast of 

 Yorkshire every winter, and affords a cheap and 

 excellent food to the poor. 



