116 



Anacanths.- 



-■FISHES.- 



-ECHENEIUANS. 



land that still lie at a distance from the railways as 

 well as from the coast, Soles are almost the only 

 marine fish that can be procured. The Flounders and 

 Soles come into shallow water ; and on the flat sands 

 of the Solway Firth are often taken by the women and 

 children wading over the sank-banks, who, when the 

 fish is felt under the naked foot, press it down until 

 it can be grasped behind the head, and transferred to 

 a basket. Greater quantities are captured in weirs or 

 trawl nets ; and the Turbot and Ilolibut which inh.abit 

 deeper water, are mostly taken by lines and hooks 

 baited with herrings, pilchards, smelts, lob-worms, 

 molluscs, &c. 



THE TUKBOT {Pscfta maxima, or Passer of Valen- 

 ciennes) is the most highly esteemed for the table of 

 this family of fishes, and boars a high price in the Lon- 

 don market, as being, while it is in season, indispen- 

 sable at all formal dinner parties. Not only are great 

 numbers of British fishermen employed in procuring 

 this coveted article of luxury, but recourse is had to 

 the industry of other nations for a sufficient supply 

 to our markets. Yarrell infomis us that the Dutch 

 receive annually £80,000 for turbots carried to the 

 London market; and the Norwegians £15,000 for 

 lobsters, to make sauce to them. Turbot fisheries are 

 pursued on the coasts of Scandinavia, nollaud, France, 

 and Britain. Those which are caught in rocky places 

 are supposed to have the firmest flesh and the finest 

 flavour. 



The mode of taking Turbots by the Scarborough 

 fishermen is described as foUows by Pennant : — Each 

 person is provided with three lines, which are coiled 

 on a flat oblong piece of wicker-work, the hooks being 

 baited and placed regularly in the centre of the coil. 

 Fourteen score of hooks are attached, six feet two 

 inches apart, to each line, by sneads of twisted horse- 

 hair twenty-seven inches in length. In fishing there 

 are three men to each coble, and, consequently, nine 

 lines, which being joined together end by end, roach 

 nearly three miles, and bear two thousand five hundred 

 and twenty hooks. A buoy and anchor are fastened 

 to each li[ie, and the whole series is placed at low 

 water across the current of flood and ebb. The best 

 baits are herrings and lampreys — the latter being 

 brought in the winter-time from Tadcaster. Small 

 shell-molluscs put on the hook alive, are also favourite 

 baits ; and the Turbot will not take a bait cut from a 

 fish that has been above twelve hours out of the sea. 

 The lines are shot and hauled at every turn of tide ; 

 and some fishermen shoot one set of lines while they 

 are taking up the other. 



THE HOLIBUT {Uippoghssus vulgaris) is the largest 

 fish of the family, and has been taken on the Scottish 

 coast weigliing three hundredweight. It is often sold 

 in our markets under the name of Turbot, but is of 

 inferior quality to that fish. It is very voracious, and 

 devours cod, skates, and crustaceans, attacking even 

 large fish and biting pieces out of them. The Ilolibut 

 is sold fresh, cut in slices ; and on the Norway coast 

 the slices are salted Uke herrings, or, after being 

 slightly salted and rolled, are hung up in the shade and 

 dried. A dis^tiiiction is made of three dilTerent portions 

 of the prepared fish — viz., the fins, which are named 



in Danish raff; the fat slices, which are called rackei ; 

 and the lean ones skarejiog. The Holibut was called 

 Ht'lgar fislar in the old Norse language ; and its 

 English denomination has a siunlar meaning of Holy 

 flounder — hut or hot being the Dutch for Flounder. The 

 Hdgar fiskar is mentioned in the Icelandic annals as 

 having been procured abundantly on the coast of Massa- 

 chusetts by the Greenlandio discoverers of America in 

 the eleventh century. In the following list of fishes, 

 taken by Havelock the Dane, the Turbot, the Flounder, 

 and the Sole are included : — 



** Mani god iish ther inne he tok, 

 Both witli neth and witli hok. 

 He tok the stiinjiun aud the qual; 

 And the turbut and hix withal ; 

 He tok the sele and the hwel ; 

 Kellng lie tok, aud tuniberel; 

 Hermg aud the maTxrel ; 

 The biitte^ the schidle, the tJiornbaJce : 

 God pauiers did he make." * 



Family VII.— ECIIENEIDANS, or SIIIP- 

 STAYEKS. 



Puppis retinct in mcdiis Echeneis aquis. — {Lucimi, p. 675.) 



The position of this family has not been satisfac- 

 torily ascertained. Some ichthyologists considering the 

 cephalic disc to be a modified spinous dorsal, have 

 ranged the Echeneidans with the Squamipennes or the 

 Scombrids. We prefer placing the group provision- 

 ally among the Anacanths. The members of the 

 family are included in the single genus Echeneis, a 

 Greek appellation, which is translated liemora by 

 Pliny ; and are remarkable and peculiar in having the 

 perfectly fiat top of the head occupied by an adliesive 

 organ, by means of which the Remora attaches itself 

 strongly to other fishes, or to rocks or ships' bottoms. 



The adhesive disc is formed of pairs of transverse 

 ridges or plaits, edged with short slender bristles. As 

 to general form, the Echeneidans are longish, and taper 

 towards the caudal fin, without keel or crests on the 

 tail. The head is the widest part ; and the mouth, 

 which is small or of moderate size, is cleft horizontall}'. 

 Villiform bands of teeth arm the jaws ; and the vomer 

 and tongue are likewise rough. Branchiostegals seven 

 or eight in number. Skin smooth to the touch, but 

 containing minute imbedded scales. Stomach large, 

 with a bag-like projection, followed by a short, wide 

 intestine, and a moderate number of pyloric casca. The 

 air-bladder is absent. 



The Picmora swims awkwardly ; and owing to its 

 convex throat, and flat head and nape, has the as])ect 

 of a fish with the belly uppermost. Its disagreeable 

 appearance prevents it from being often used for food; 

 but sailors sometimes eat it, and it is not poisonous. 

 Seemingly it prefers being transported from place to 

 place on ships' bottoms, or the bodies of sharks, to 

 swimming far by its own exertions ; and in the warmer 

 parts of the ocean it avails itself of that mode of ges- 

 tation in bands of nine or ten, or more individuals. 



* From Notes and Queries. Second series, vi., 317. — Qiud 

 and hwcl, grampus, or porpoise; Lfix, salmon ; Sele, seal ; Kduig, 

 cod-fish; Tuniberel (?), Tumlure, porpoise (?) ; iJuMe, flounder ; 

 aud Schidle, sole. 



