﻿FISHES. 
  

  

  237 
  

  

  coast. 
  In 
  the 
  0. 
  S. 
  A., 
  vol. 
  xiii., 
  p. 
  8, 
  under 
  Bervie, 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  : 
  

   " 
  The 
  fishing 
  business 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  much 
  on 
  the 
  decline 
  on 
  

   this 
  coast, 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  great 
  scarcity 
  of 
  fishes, 
  particularly 
  of 
  

   the 
  species 
  called 
  Haddocks. 
  Within 
  these 
  ten 
  or 
  twelve 
  

   years 
  the 
  Haddocks 
  have 
  left 
  this 
  coast 
  entirely. 
  In 
  the 
  year 
  

   1782, 
  a 
  prodigious 
  storm 
  happened 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  ; 
  the 
  wind, 
  

   blowing 
  with 
  an 
  uncommon 
  violence, 
  raised 
  the 
  sea 
  in 
  such 
  

   mountainous 
  billows 
  as 
  to 
  produce 
  effects 
  almost 
  like 
  an 
  

   earthquake, 
  and 
  since 
  that 
  storm 
  the 
  Haddocks 
  have 
  every 
  

   year 
  become 
  scarcer. 
  The 
  cause 
  attributed 
  for 
  their 
  depar- 
  

   ture 
  being 
  that 
  the 
  mussels 
  on 
  which 
  they 
  fed 
  had 
  been 
  

   covered 
  up 
  with 
  sand." 
  On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  " 
  Dr. 
  Blagden 
  

   ascribes 
  the 
  scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  Haddocks 
  to 
  the 
  effects 
  of 
  

   electricity." 
  

  

  The 
  Haddock 
  is 
  subject 
  to 
  great 
  variation 
  in 
  colour 
  ; 
  one 
  

   was 
  brought 
  into 
  Aberdeen 
  Market 
  on 
  19th 
  February, 
  1896, 
  

   the 
  colour 
  above 
  the 
  lateral 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  line 
  itself 
  being 
  a 
  

   pale 
  yellow 
  ; 
  under 
  the 
  line, 
  silvery 
  white. 
  There 
  was 
  no 
  

   trace 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  black 
  shoulder 
  mark. 
  The 
  fish 
  was 
  

   caught 
  by 
  trawl 
  about 
  midway 
  between 
  the 
  main-land 
  and 
  

   Soulis 
  Skerry, 
  i.e., 
  about 
  thirty-three 
  miles 
  off 
  each. 
  The 
  

   fish 
  measured 
  twenty-five 
  inches 
  long, 
  and 
  was 
  in 
  fine 
  

   condition. 
  

  

  Fishes 
  similar 
  to 
  this 
  are 
  described 
  by 
  Thomson 
  and 
  others 
  

   from 
  the 
  Irish 
  seas. 
  Couch 
  claims 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   what 
  he 
  describes 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Dorse," 
  but 
  in 
  this 
  there 
  is 
  great 
  

   room 
  for 
  doubt. 
  In 
  his 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  Dorse, 
  he 
  says 
  : 
  

   " 
  Behind 
  the 
  head 
  on 
  the 
  back 
  a 
  deep 
  chink 
  almost 
  like 
  that 
  

   on 
  the 
  nape 
  of 
  the 
  Rockling, 
  but 
  without 
  a 
  ciliated 
  membrane 
  

   as 
  in 
  that 
  fish." 
  Now 
  the 
  fish 
  in 
  my 
  hands 
  has 
  not 
  that 
  

   " 
  chink," 
  but 
  has 
  instead 
  the 
  low 
  blunt 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  

   Haddock, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  could 
  be 
  shown 
  that 
  the 
  Irish 
  examples 
  did 
  

   not 
  possess 
  this 
  "chink," 
  then 
  Couch's 
  claim 
  to 
  have 
  them 
  

   " 
  Dorse" 
  cannot 
  hold 
  good. 
  

  

  Gadus 
  luscus, 
  Linn. 
  Bib. 
  Whiting 
  Pout. 
  "Silver 
  Fish." 
  

   " 
  Jackie-down 
  ie." 
  "Brassie." 
  "Bargain." 
  

  

  Common 
  all 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  Frequently 
  

   used 
  as 
  bait. 
  As 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  food 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  good. 
  

  

  Q 
  

  

  