THE COOK AND THE GROUSE. 203 



where this kind of squid is found is the result of sheer ignorance, 

 and causes the loss, in all likelihood, of great quantities of the 

 best -white fish. It is not easy to say when the Gadidee are in 

 proper season. Some of the members of that family are used 

 for table purposes all the year round ; and as different salmon 

 rivers have their diflferent close-times, so undoubtedly will the 

 white fish of different seas or firths have different spawning 

 seasons. In reference, for instance, to so important a fish as 

 the turbot, we are very vaguely told by YarreU that it spawns 

 in the spring-time, but no indication is given of the particular 

 month in which that important operation takes place, or how 

 long the young fish take to grow. Even a naturalist so 

 well informed as the late Mr. Wilson was of opinion that the 

 turbot was a travelling fish, which migrated from place to place. 



The combined ignorance of naturalists and fishermen has 

 much to do with the scarcity of white fish now beginning 

 to be experienced j and unless some plan be hit upon to 

 prevent overfishing, we may some fine morning experience the 

 same astonishment as a country gentleman's cook, who had 

 given directions to the gamekeeper to supply the kitchen regu- 

 larly with a certain quantity of grouse. For a number of years 

 she found no lack, but in the end the purveyor threw down the 

 prescribed number, and told her she need look for no more from 

 him, for on that day the last grouse had been shot. " There 

 they are," said the gamekeeper, " and it has taken six of us, 

 with a gun apiece, to get them, and after all we have only 

 achieved the labour which was gone through by one man some 

 years ago." The cook had unfortunately never considered the 

 relation between guns and grouse. 



The Gadidse family is numerous, and its members are 

 valuable for table purposes ; three of the fishes of that genus are 

 particularly in request — viz. whiting, cod, and haddock. These 

 are the three most frequently eaten in a iresh state ; there are 

 others of the family which are extensively captured for the pur- 

 pose of being dried and salted, among which are the ling, the 

 tusk, etc. The haddock (Morrhua aylefinus) has ever been a 

 favourite fish, and the quantities of it which are annually con- 

 sumed are really wonderful. Vast numbers used to be taken in 

 the Firth of Forth, but from recent inquiries at Newhaven I am 

 led to believe that the supply has considerably decreased of late 

 years, and that the local fishermen have to proceed to consider- 

 able distances in order to procure any quantity. 



