FISHES. 
197 
as they abound with worms, their principal food. 
They are migrating fish, as they go to the polar seas 
to deposit their spawn. 
57. Previous to the discovery of Newfoundland, 
the principal cod-fisheries were in the seas off Ice- 
land, and the western islands of Scotland. To the 
former of these the English resorted nearly four cen- 
turies, and had no less than one hundred and fifty 
vessels employed in the Iceland fishery in the reign 
of James I. 
58. These fish are caught only by means of the 
hook and line. Many thousands of British and 
American seamen are constantly employed in the 
cod-fisheries. 
59. An immense quantity of these fish are con- 
sumed yearly. The Cod is perhaps the most pro- 
lific of all fish. In a middling sized fish, Leuwen- 
hoek observed more than nine millions of eggs. 
THE PIKE. 
60. The Pike, or Pickerel, is a fresh water fish, 
and in some countries is three or four feet in length. 
The head is very flat, and the eyes are small, and 
of a golden tinge. The teeth are very sharp, and 
Where were Cod-fish formerly taken ? How are they taken ? 
W hat is said of their consumption 1 
What is the size and appearance of the Pike 1 
17* 
