NATURAL HISTORY of NOkPFJf. iif 



but the back, or upper fide, is of a dark brown ; on which are 

 placed both the eyes, and not one on each fide, like thofe of 

 other Fifh. The fize of the Turbot in thefe feas is fo great, 

 that it will cover a large table : the flefh is exceeding good 

 when frefh, and if it be cut to pieces and falted down, one Fifh 

 will fill a cask. They prey upon other Fifh ; and when they are 

 pinched for food they will devour one another's tails, as has 

 often been (een; In the Hiflory of Birds I have obferved, that 

 when the eagle (hikes its talons into the Turbot's flefhy 

 back, and cannot get them out again, he is dragged down to 

 the bottom of the fea, and often putrifies on his back. This Fifh 

 alfo ftrives fometimes to be revenged on mankind, though nature 

 has not furnifhed him with offenfive weapons. This may be 

 concluded from what was related to me by a fifherman, a perfon of 

 credit and integrity. This man flriking at a Queite, or Turbot, 

 mifs'd his aim, and fell overboard, in two or three fathoms water. 

 He came down upon a clear fandy bottom, where he was ken 

 by his companions, with the huge Turbot fpreading himfelf upon 

 him, to prefs him down. He lay in this pofture till his compa- 

 nions, with their boat-hooks, came to his affiftanee. They 

 have fuch furprizing firength in their tail, that the fifhermen 

 muft take great care when they happen to take a very large one, 

 that he does not ftrike the deck of the boat, for he will fome- 

 times beat the boards till they are loofe, and might poffibly 

 overfet the boat. The Turbot comes, like other kinds of Fifh, 

 near the fhore, at certain feafons, particularly in the Spring ; but 

 it is caught generally out in the maiii fea, or along the fides of 

 the fand-bank that projefts out to fea, beyond all the iflands, 

 cliffs, 8cc. that cover our coaft. They catch them here by means 

 of a great number of long ropes, each having a large fifhing- 

 hook fattened to its extremity. All thefe are dragg'd at the bot- 

 tom, and joined to one main line, at the end of which is a 

 log, by way of float, to mark the place. When this has lain all 

 night, the next morning they expect to draw three, four, or five 

 of thefe large Turbots at a time ; the greateft part they fait down; 

 from the reft they cut off the fat from their fins, and flices of 

 their flefh, which are brought here chiefly from Andenes and 

 Tromfen, in Nordland, and then they are exported. The 

 French, who have begun a Turbot-fifhery in North America, 

 have alfo learnt to cut off the fat about the fins, and thefe flices 

 from the body of the Fifh. We feldom or never fifh for them 

 after Midfummer-day, becaufe they are grown fo fat then, that 

 their flefh is fpoiled by driving them about, 8cc A remarkable 

 Part II. H h inftance 



