AMBROSE ON ST. MARGARETS BAY FISHING GROUNDS. 41 



cod, for instance, ravenously seeking squid in the squid season, but 

 showing rather an indifference to it at other times. 



Hake are nocturnal in their habits, never taking the hook in 

 day time at the outer ground ; but when in the Bay and on rocky 

 bottom in the spawning season, in the latter part of summer, and in 

 autumn, on the dark days, they will occasionally take bait. Just 

 before sunset during the night fishing, or " goating season," i. e., in 

 autumn, the boats are all at anchor on the hake grounds, and as soon 

 as the sun is below the horizon the work begins. If a seventeen feet 

 whale boat with two men happen to hit on a good spot, she will 

 load before midnight. Seven or eight quintals are frequently taken 

 in a night by two hands, but it is very cold and disagreeable work 

 in the frosty nights, about the last of October and during the month 

 of November. 



In the spring, though the liver of this fish contains no oil, it is 

 white, and herein differs from that of the cod. In summer, as the 

 herring begin to strike in, the hake liver soon becomes very fat and 

 }T.elds more oil than the cod liver. 



When hake and codfish are salted in the same puncheon, the 

 latter fish are made much tougher by the contact than they would 

 otherwise be, and are therefore less prized for home consumption. 

 Our fishermen always take good care to salt the cod separately, when 

 intended to be used in their own families, or sold to such as are 

 particular in such matters. Hake are very seldom used here, but 

 are shipped to Halifax for the West India market. 



There are but few logics among hake, and even these show no 

 symptoms of organic disease. They are also full-grown fish, which 

 would seem to indicate that old age is the principal cause of their 

 sluggishness. 



Haddock come next on our list. These lively little fish do not, 

 like cod, ling, hake and halibut, keep always near bottom, but are 

 found at all depths and bite greedily. When feeding on the bottom 

 they are — like our worthy President and our patient and energetic 

 brother Willis — great collectors of shells ; and many rare specimens 

 now adorning the cabinets of these enthusiastic naturalists, were 

 brought from mysterious depths by the haddock. " The dark 

 unfathomed caves of ocean bear" in our vicinity, but little which 

 has not been inspected by the prying eyes and vigorous nose of the 



