GADID^E. 299 



for ground fishing. On the Galway coast small fresh-water eels are said to be 

 ingeniously fastened on to the hooks and used as a bait for the pollack. 



Breeding. — It spawns about the end or early part of the year, and the young 

 are first seen at Mevagissey in April about 1 inch long (Dunn). On May 28th, 

 1881, I received from Mr. Dunn some specimens captured at the surface of the 

 sea, they were from 7/10 to 1 inch in length. Over the head and back, as seen 

 under a microscope, were numerous small angular black spots, and elsewhere 

 some star-shaped ones. No scales nor even ventral fins were visible until the fish 

 had attained 4/5 of an inch in length. 



As food. — In the highest perfection in the autunm, especially those from about 

 the end of Cornwall or off the Scilly Isles : it is superior to the coal-fish. 

 Mr. Cornish obsei'ves that it is an excellent fish all the year round, but best in 

 winter. A fry of little pollack, about 6 inches long, will beat a similar dish of 

 Cornish trout at any time. 



It is not seen much in the London market, but appears to be eaten on the 

 coast where taken : now and then a few are exposed for sale in the Cheltenham 

 fish shops. 



Mr. Dunn observes that porpoises will pursue both the young and full-grown 

 pollack, and not long since the crew of a Mevagissey fishing-boat saw a school of 

 the former attack one of the latter. After a short time full thirty large pollack 

 were left for dead floating on the sea : they tacked their boat and picked up many 

 of them. 



Uses. — Oil is obtained from the liver off Scandinavia, where the " sey " or 

 young pollack gives about 26k gallons each 200 fish. Fishermen in Cornwall 

 frequently salt and dry this fish for home consumption. 



Habitat. — From the northern seas extending along the coasts of Norway to 

 the German Ocean and European shores of the Atlantic, becoming rare in the 

 Mediterranean. This species does not appear to have been obtained in America, 

 where our coal-fish, Gadus virens, is termed the pollack. 



Although frequently met with in the Orkneys and Zetland, it is not so 

 common as most of the cod family. At Banff frequent (Edward) : Aberdeen 

 (Sim) : St. Andrew's, occasionally from the deep water (Mcintosh) : Firth of 

 Forth rare (Paraell). In Yorkshire it is resident and common (Yorkshire 

 Vertebrata). At Lossiemouth examples are often taken during the summer and 

 autumn months, especially among the coal-fish and in rocky localities. In fact it 

 is found on most of our rocky coasts, but most abundant along the south or 

 S.W. shores and bays, being numerous off Devonshire and Cornwall. 



In Ireland it is common around the coast. 



The example figured, which is 18 inches long, was from Plymouth. 



It is generally seen up to 6 or 7 lb. weight : one has been recorded by 

 Thompson of 12 lb. from Belfast, while Couch asserts that his specimen weighed 

 24 lb. 



