46 
A CORNISH FAUNA. 
for the table all the year round. It is despised on account 
of its boniness. 
Power Cod {Morrlma minuta.) A miserable little fish, very much 
like the blind, but longer in proportion to its depth. It is 
common everywhere. 
Whiting {Iferlangus mlgaris.) This well-known delicacy is 
abundant off our coasts from September to March. The 
largest and best are taken off Polperro. 
Poutassou {Couch's Whiting.) This Mediterranean member of 
the cod family has occurred twice off Polperro, but has not 
that I am aware of been recognised elsewhere in the 
County. 
Pollack {Merlangus poTlachim.) The whiting pollack. Peculiarly 
a Cornish fish. It is said to be almost unknown East of the 
Start. An excellent table fish all the year round, but best 
in winter. A fry of little pollack, about six inches long, 
will beat a similar dish of Cornish trout at any time. 
Coalfish {Merlangus carhonaruis.) Panning (qu. Pavening or 
ravenous) pollack. This fish is common off all our coasts, 
and attains a very large size, (up to half a hundred weight) 
off the Land’s End. Its flesh is coarser than that of the 
whiting pollack, but in small specimens it is quite as 
palatable. The straight white lateral line of this fish dis- 
tinguishes it at once from the whiting pollack. Couch 
himself (British Pishes) identifies his “ green pollack ” with 
this fish. 
Ling {Lota moha.) Very common and deserving of much more 
gastronomic attention than it gets. Good fresh ling is an 
excellent fish in winter, and Scilly salt ling is a delicacy aU 
the year round. It has been recently suggested that there 
are two permanent varieties of ling, but this second variety 
may turn out to be the “ torsk.” 
Hake {Merlucius vulgaris.) Sold in London as “ Cornish salmon.” 
Very common. Twenty years ago 3s 6d a “burn” (i.e. 21 
fish or a “ burthen ” for one person) was a very high whole- 
sale price for hake in West Cornwall, and 6d a fish was a 
fair retail price. Now hake commands in West Cornwall a 
wholesale price of from los to 20s a burn, and a retail price 
from Is. to Is. 6d. each. 
