15% N A T U R A L H I S T O R Y of N R WA T. 



fhape and its fiercenefs. Some writers defcribe this Fifh a foot 

 long* In this country they are feen, tho' feldom, about fix feet 

 long; and this is their natural fize. The fample I have is much 

 larger, being full feven feet, and perhaps it is fhrunk a ^ od 

 deal in drying- The bones of it are rather griftly than hard i 

 the colour is white underneath and darkifli above. The head is 

 fo large, that it makes above one half of the Fifh : adjoining to it 

 there is only a little narrow body, which terminates in a very 

 fharp-pointed tail. It has feveral fins, the largeft of which are 

 the two under the head. Upon the bone of the fnout there is an 

 erecl, long, narrow flip : the eyes are very large ; and the jaws 

 open very wide, and are let with many rows of ftrong teeth:, the 

 lower jaw is longer than the upper, and may be ftretched quite 

 open. When he does that we have opportunity to fee the tongue 

 which is thick and broad, and has, on the upper part, a number 

 of fharp teeth or points, like thofe in the jaws; fo that no Fifh 

 can poflibly bite more terribly than this. All round the under 

 jaw-bone there hangs feveral flips, or falfe fins, of a griftly fub- 

 ftance, about four inches long : thefe flips, before the Fifh is dried 

 look like fo many worms. Thefe the Steen-Ulk makes ufe of to 

 decoy other Fifh with, when he wants to catch them. To this 

 end he will get upon the edge of a rock, and open his jaws 

 very wide : this vaft mouth the other Fifh, who are ftriving to 

 get the fuppofed floating worms, take to be an opening or crack 

 in the rock, fo fall a prey to this Fifh, and are devoured una- 

 wares. Gafp. Schottus, in his Phyfica Curiofa, Lib. x. c. xli. 

 p. 114a, fays of this voracious Fifh-hunter, that the aboVe 

 mentioned long and narrow bone that ftands upon the fhout of it, 

 and hangs into the water, ferves alfb as a bait to decoy the Fifh : 

 this may poflibly be, tho' I fhould rather think that the creature 

 ufed it to ftrike fmall Fifh with. This Fifh eats every thing 

 that comes in its way. L. C. he fays, Ci Cibus prseter pifces etiam 

 caro humana, fi copia fuppetat. Gefherus refert fe audiviflb, na- 

 tantem alicjuando virili membro apprehenfum detraxifTe in pro- 

 fundum." It is feldom caught, except by accidentally coming 

 unawares into the net with other Fifh. This Fifh is found 

 chiefly under the rocks, or among the weeds *. 

 stilling: Stilling. See Hundftigle. 



* P. S. There has been lately caught a Ram Pifcatrix, without any thing in its 

 ftomach but Mufcle-fhells, and a pretty large ftone. The Fifh ftood upon his defence 

 againft the Filhermen, who being near the ihore, knock'd it on the head with the, 

 boat-hook. 



The 



