NATURAL HISTORY of N O R tv A T. 



and reckoned the moft delicate of the whole kind. It is fent 

 to many parts of Europe, falted, and dry'd. It is brought to 

 Bergen, where there is a great demand for it by foreign mer- 

 chants *. 



The Dutch ufe a great deal of it for mips provifion on long 

 voyages, becaufe it will keep longer than any other Fifh in hot 

 countries, when it has been well cur'd, and it then taftes better 

 than when it is frefh. The Ling ufually comes towards the Shore 

 along with the Spring Herrings, or foon after them, in great fhoals : 

 they are catch'd with a ftrong hook and line. The chief place 

 for catchingthem with us is on the Storeggen, or the long Sand- 

 bank, mentioned above, that ftretches itfelf along the coaft. To 

 this place the flfhermen go in the midft of Summer, to fl(h for 

 Ling and Turbot, twelve or fixteen miles from the main land. 



The Lax, Salmon, Salme, a well-known, confiderably large , Lax. 

 and excellent Fifh, has bright fiiver fcales, but the flefh is red! 

 It is allowed by all to be one of the moft delicious and beft-tafted 

 Fifh ; however, the phyficians do not reckon it wholfom, when it 

 is eaten frefh, in too great a quantity. 



As the Salmon is not fond of biting at a bait, and there is fel- NouriiW 

 dom any Fifh found in its belly, fome are inclined to think that 

 (as it is faid of the Herrings) it lives upon water alone, and that 

 this renders its flelh fo delicate : but this opinion is refuted by 

 Willoughby, Lib. iv. §. ii, p. 1 9 2. He fays, « Mr. Johnfon 

 afTures me that the Salmon is fond of fine red worms, when they 

 are thrown into the water ; but I fhall not determine this pointf . 

 I fhall only obferve, that as the Lord of nature, who has created 

 nothing in vain, has given the Salmon good teeth, we may con- 

 clude the former opinion is without foundation ; for it were abfurd 

 to fay they were given them only for weapons, to defend them- 

 felves againft Fifh of prey. I am to obferve alfo, that one of my 

 correfpondents affirms, that he has found fmall Herrings in a Sal- 

 mon's belly : nay, tho' the Salmon is but feldom difpofed to bite 

 at the hook, yet he. will fometimes do it." 



Willoughby, whom I quoted above, alfo confutes Gefner's 

 opinion, concerning the Salmons breeding in the fea : he thinks 

 that is done in frefh water, from whence they afterwards go to the 

 fea : but in this he is certainly miftaken. The Salmon unqueftion- Breeding- 

 ably breeds in the fea, tho' it is not entirely to be deny'd but place * 



* The quantity of this Fifh that is taken is very inconfiderable in proportion to 

 fome others ; but yet there was exported, in the year 1752, 45,000 lifp-pound weight, 

 or 720,000 averdupoiie. . 



f Mr. Ewen Meldal, chaplain at Haram in this diocefe, has, amongfl other obfer- 

 vations, lately allured me, that he has found fmall worms in the Salmon's belly. 



that 



