322 riSCKS. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE A! ALACOPTERYGII SUI5-B1UCIIIATI. 

 GADiD.ii (the Cod Family). 

 This family are ahiiost wholly included in the great genus Gadm^ easily known by having the 

 ventrals inser.ed under tlie throat, and pointed. The hody is moderately long, a httle compressed, 

 and covered with small soft scales ; tLe head is well-proportioned, but naked ■ all their fins are soft ; 

 the jaws and front of the vomer have unequal-pointed teeth, of medium or small size, disposed in 

 several rows, like a card m- ia--p; the gill-openings are large, and there arc ^cm.'u ray:>. Most of tlicin 

 have t\v(j or three fins on tlic hack, some behind the vent, and a distinct caudal fin. Tlie stomach is a 

 large and strouL^ s.ac ; and the intestine long, with numerous cteca. The air-bladder is large and strong, 

 and often mttelicd in the margins. The greater numher live in the cold or temperate seas, and furnish 

 a most inipi">rrant branch of th(.' fisheries. Their flesh is white, easily separable into flakes, and, gene- 

 rally speaking, wholesome, easy of digestion, and agreeable to the palate. [Taken altogether, they are 

 probably more really servicciible to Man than any other family of fishes. Their reproductive powers 

 are great, atnl their uiuul)irs countless; and they have the advantage of being generally found in vast 

 shoals, at parrieulur places.] They can be subdivided as follows: — 



Morrhua, Cod, properly so called, with three dorsals, two anals, and a cirrus at the point of the lower jaw. Tliey 

 are the most numerous and valuable of the family, consisting' ofthree sections, or species : — G. morrhua, the Cod, 

 two or three feet lonp;, with the back spotted brown and yellOw ; inhabits all the north seas, and multiplies exceed- 

 iii;;-ly in the colder latitudes. They are taken in vast numbers for salting, and also for immediate use, [Their 

 appearance aud qnality vary a good deal with the nature of the ground.] G. tjegh-jlnus, the Haddock, brown on 

 the back, silvery on the belly, with the lateral line, and a spot behind the pectoral lin, black. Almost as numerous 

 in northern latitudes as the Cod, but less esteemed. [AVhen the Haddock is taken in deep and clear water, it is 

 perhaps the most delicate, and at the same time the most savoury of the whole family ; but it does not take salt 

 so well as Cod.] G.callariuft, the Dorse, spotted like the Cod, but snjaller, and with the upper jaw longest. It is 

 much esteemed in the north, when eaten fresh. [Besides thcsp, tliere are various sub-species, or varirties, uf all 

 the three kinds, some of them found on the British shores.] 



Merlangus, the AVhiting, with the same fins as Cod, but no cirri. Of these, G. mcrlanguSy the AMiiting, is well 

 known from its abundance, and the li^^htness of its flesh. It is pale, reddish grey above, silveiT^ below, has a long 

 upper jaw, and is about a foot in length. G. cariiOHo/-?//.?, the Coal-fish, twice the size of the AVhiting, blackish 

 brown, with t!ie upj.ier jaw short, and the lateral line straight. The flesh of tlic full-grown one is coarse and tough, 

 but it takes salt like Cud. G. polachius, tlie Pollock, jaws like the Coal-fish, brown above, spotted on the flanks, 

 and silvery below. It is abundant in the Atlantic ; and better than the Coal-fish, but inferior to the AVhitlng. 



Mcrlucciiis, the Hake, with only two dorsals, one anal, and no cirri, sometimes exceeds two feet; the back 

 brownish grey, the first dorsal pointed, and the lower jaw longest. It is a coarse fish, but captured in great 

 numbers, and salted. There are some species in high southern latitudes. 



Lota, the Ling (which means the Long Fisli), has two dorsals, one anal, and some cirid at the mouth. G. moh-a, 

 from three to four feet long, olive above, silvery beneath, dorsals ecjually high, lower jaw a little shorter than the 

 ui'iper, and with a cirrus. This species salts well, and is not inferior to Cod ; hence it i^ a very valuable object in 

 the fisheries. 



G. /fl/ff, the Burbot, from one to two feet long, yellow mottled with brown, dorsals uf equal height, aud one 

 cirrus; head slightly depressed, and body cylindrical. It ascends rivers, and its flesh and fliivour are highly 

 esteemed. [The livers of most of the family are large, and furnish a great deal of oil, highly valuable in the dress- 

 ing of li/ather, arid other operations of the arts.] 



jMof'r/Ia, the Heckling. Body lengthened, fir^t dorsal scareely perceptible, second ami .niial very long, aud three 

 or more cirri. M. vulyaris, the Tliree-bearded Ilcickling, has two cirri on the nose, and one on the lower jaw. It 

 is fawn-coloured, with brown spots. 71/. quinqnecirrata, the Five-bearded, has four cirri on the upper part, and 

 one on the chin. It is dark-brown on the upper part, and seldom attains any considerable size. 



il/. g/aiicn, the Mackarel Midge, is about an inch and a quarter long, bluish-green on the upper part, and silvery 

 below, and on the fins. HI. arycnfeola, the Silvery Gade, is also a small fish, with three cirri, and colouied nearly 

 like the former. 



}iro.'<m'n(s, the Tur^k, is a noiihern species, \-\ ith a long body, a dorsal along the whole back, one barbu'e oa the 

 under jaw, and the ventrals lleshy. It grows to the largest size in its native north. 



Bvoiula, from the West Indian seas, with the dorsal, anal, and caudal, forming one fin, which ends in a point. 



jP//.*/c/.v, Fork-ljrard, have a single ray in each ventral, which is produced and Ctuked. They have also a small 

 barbule on the chin. Thei'e are one or two British species. 



Ran'ircpK, the Tadpole Fish, has the head broad and depi-essed, and the fii'st dorsal scarcely visible. 



Lrj)i:/i)/<'j>n(x, a separate genus, having some relation to the Cod. Their suborbitals are united wilb the nasal 

 hone, and foi'm a depressed muzzle, advancing before the mouth, which, however, retains its mobility. Hrad 

 inul body with hard spinous scales; the ventrals are a little on the throat; the pectorals of mean size; the first 

 aorsal high ; the second dorsal, anal, and caudal urdted ; the jaws shoit ; the teeth fine svnd short. They inhabit 



