AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 455 



"lie relaxes tlie muscles connected witli his bladder, causing the 

 a,ir within to be expanded, when he immediately becomes specifi- 

 cally more light than the water, and ascends. The flounder, 

 sole, eel and numerous other fish have no bladders, and are 

 therefore compelled to remain always on the bottom. The cod 

 is gregarious, and traverses the ocean in immense squadrons, 

 remaining in certain localities as long as they yield appropriate 

 food in sufficient abundance to supply his wants; he is particu- 

 larly fond of certain marine plants, muscles, sand- worms and 

 snails. The cod can never be taught by the flesh of his own 

 species cut up for bait, as many fish can. If stale bait is used, 

 lie smells it at once, and flees from it rapidly. This fish is 

 regarded very justly as a source of commercial wealth and 

 national industry, as well as a wonder of nature in its continu- 

 ance to multiply as it does, notwithstanding the myriads that are 

 destroyed by the agency of man, also in the egg shape by raven- 

 'ous fishes, and even by their own gluttonous parents, clearly 

 demonstrating that without extraordinary creative power the 

 species could not be protracted long. But nature has endowed 

 this race of fish with the most remarkable fecundity, as careful 

 and oft repe<ited observation has shown that the ovaries of each 

 full grown cod contain, on an average, nine million three hundred 

 and forty-four thousand ova. 



Their flesh is composed of firm, white, flakey muscles, and 

 forms a wholesome diet, either fresh, salted or dried; the tongues 

 and bladders, salted or pickled, are considered a delicacy by 

 epicures; the liver is delicious, and afibrds a limpid oil, now well 

 known to commerce,* the head is principally composed of gelatine, 

 and is considered the most nutritive portion of the fisli, and 

 would furnish a large percentage of isinglass, or glue, if properly 

 prepared; the intestines are eaten by the French, and considered 

 a luxury, and the roes, when pickled, are exceedingly fine. 



Before the American Revolution, there were employed in the 

 Massachusetts cod fishery nearly thirty thousand tons of shipping, 

 and more than four thousand seamen ; the value of their industry 

 annually, was about eleven hundred thousand dollars. It is an 

 interesting fact, well established, that our unsurpassed system of 

 common schools took its rise in the Plymouth fisheries in 1662 or 



