BLENNIID^. 197 



its ova upon_ the leaves of marine plants. The fry are of a greenish 

 colour resembling the sea--wract, among which they reside for some time after 

 their birth. About June the youna; are said by Parnell to be 2 feet in length 

 in the Firth of Forth. 



Uses. — The Greenlanders were said to eat its flesh raw or salted, and make 

 "bags and other articles with its skin. But its hideous appearance and the sickly 

 odour of its flesh renders it repulsive to the inhabitants of these islands, although 

 fishermen occasionally eat it, having first cut oS its head and then skinned it. 



As food. — Lowe says " it is excellent eating ; however, none are very fond of it, 

 and generally reject it." At St. Andrew's a fisherman assared me that it was 

 excellent eating. " It has so disagreeable and horrid an appearance that nobody 

 at Scarborough," says Pennant, "except the fishermen will eat it, and they prefer 

 it to holibut. They always before dressing take oif the head and skin." Clarke 

 (Fauna of Yorkshire) says the fishermen describe it as the best fish that 

 swims, and Buckland found it on trial to be very good, and compared it 

 to a nice veal chop. Donovan states that cooking having eradicated its 

 unpleasant odour, he found its flavour was like, but superior to, that of the 

 mackerel, and he deemed it delicious. De Kay says its flesh when smoked has 

 somewhat the flavour of salmon. 



Habitat. — Most abundant in the cold regions of the north, common in the 

 German Ocean, becoming very rare ofi" the French coast. On the eastern, shores 

 of America it is taken from Greenland to Cape Hatteras. 



In Orkneys also Zetland (W. Baikie) " this very dreadful and ugly filsh is 

 often caught in our seas, and sometimes thrown ashore in storms. None of our 

 fishermen love it, either hating the colour or the great teeth of which it can. make 

 good use, even when out of its own element" (Lowe). At Banff, frequent 

 (Edward), also at Aberdeen (Sim) : St. Andrew's, in deep water (Mcintosh), 

 Firth of Forth. In Yorkshire it is said to be common along the coast : Yarmouth 

 (Paget), and East Norfolk coast (Gurney). Plynaouth Sound but rare (Parfitt), 

 it has been taken at Fowey and Looe in Cornwall (Couch). 



Ireland. — ^Belfast, one example, April, 1807 : one off Dublin Bay, January, 

 1839 (Jacob) : two from Dingle (Ball) : while some fish termed Cat-ling captured 

 far out at sea off the Galway coast are supposed to be this species. Templeton 

 remarked that it does not seem to be common on the coast but is sometimes met 

 with in the Belfast market, most probably caught by the Carrickf ergus fishermen 

 in the bay. Thompson observes that it is occasionally taken on the east coast »i 

 Ireland. 



It attains to 6 feet or even more in length.. 



