18 THE GERMON. [169O. 



desigu'd the Shape of its Body, and the Disposition of its 

 Fins. Near the Tail of it, there are six little things like 

 square Fins on the Back of it not an inch High, and over 

 against them under its Belly there are seven. 



As I was writing this, a Friend of mine, who is always 

 admiring the Divine Wonders of Nature, and very nicely 

 considers them ; told me that he had measured and design'd 

 a Bonita which was taken in the year 1702 near Rye, on 

 the Kentish Shoar, and which differ'd in several things from 

 that I have been speaking of. The Header will, I doubt not, 

 be pleas'd to see the Billet which my Friend wrote me on 

 this Subject, when he sent me the draught of this Bonita. 



" The Fish which in the Indian Sea is call'd Bonita, is 

 known on the Coasts of France, and particularly between 

 the Loire and the Garonne, by the name of Gerrnon. It very 

 rarely enters the Channel, which I note en passant is quite 

 contrary to the Makarel ; for the Coasts of Nor7nandy, 

 especially the Bcssin^ and Costentin are full of them ; whereas 

 they are never, or very rarely, seen about Rocliclle. The 

 Gerrnon or Bonita of our Seas, is certainly a Fish of the 

 same Species with the Bonitas you saw in your Voyages, but 

 the Species varies a little, a thing that may be observ'd in 

 all sorts of Animals, as soon as we change the Country, as 

 you have your self taken notice. The last Bonita which I 

 saw, and which was taken near Rye in tlie beginning of 

 Jiine 1702 was just three Foot long, and its Body propor- 

 tionably greater than that which you design'd in the Figure 

 you shew'd me ; for thrice the breadth of it where 'twas 

 broadest, made compleatly its length. I send you an exact 

 draught of it. At the first view one would think that this 



1 " Bessin and Costentin.'''' " Cof<tentin = Coteutin, the large Norman 

 peuinsula, the only peninsula in France, which now forms the depart- 

 ment of La Manche. Bessin is the name of a small district, not now- 

 marked on any map, whose principal town is Port-en-Bessiu, not far 

 from Bayeux, Calvados." {Gabriel Marcd.) 



