58 
LECTURE VIIL 
ing the spines of its fin ; and so painful is the 
wound, that a general belief still prevails of its 
being accompanied by a kind of poison ; but it 
is certain that the spines of the fin are not tubular, 
nor is any fish known to contain any real or pro- 
per poisonous fluid ; though several become poi- 
sonous by feeding on acrimonious substances, and 
being eaten without proper precautions. 
To the jugular fishes belongs a numerous 
genus entitled Gadus or Codfish, containing not 
only the Common Codfish, but the Haddock, the 
Ling, the Burbot, and a great variety of others. 
The chief character of this genus is that the ven- 
tral fins are slender, and terminate in a point, 
and that the back-fins are twm or three in number. 
The Common Codfish is a native of the northern 
seas, where it resides in immense shoals, and 
performs various migrations at stated seasons, vi- 
siting in succession the different coasts both of 
Europe and America. The chief fishery is about 
the sand-banks of Newfoundland, which are de- 
scribed as constituting a vast submarine mountain 
of above five hundred miles long, and near three 
hundred broad. Our own country enjoys the 
greatest share of this fishery, which is carried on 
