THE COD GENUS. 
173 
of well-kown and useful fishes. The general characters are 
a smooth head, the fin that covers the gills consisting of 
seven rays, all the fins covered with a common skin, the 
ventral fins slender, and ending in a point. It has teeth in 
the jaws, and a series of small teeth closely set together in 
the palate. Most of the species have also the chin bearded. 
The common cod is short in proportion to its bulk, the 
belly is large and prominent, its eyes are large, and at the 
end of the lower jaw is a small beard. It is ash-coloured, 
spotted with yellow, and the belly white ; on the back are 
three soft (ins. 
There are also the three bearded and jive bearded Cods , 
both of which differ from the common sort, not only in this 
character, but in having only two back tins, the latter very 
long. 
1 he Cod seems to be the foremost of the wandering tribe 
of fishes, and is only found in our northern part of the 
world. This animal’s chief place of resort is on the banks 
of Newfoundland, and the other sand banks that lie ofif 
b’ape Breton. That extensive Hat seems to be no other than 
the broad top of a sea mountain, extending for above five 
hundred miles long, and surrounded with a deeper sea. 
Hither the cod annually repair in numbers, beyond the 
Power of calculation, to feed on the quantity of' worms that 
are to he found there in the sandy bottom. Here they are 
taken in such quantities, that they supply all Europe with 
a considerable share of provision. The English have stages 
erected all along the shore for salting and drying them ; 
and the fishermen, who take them with the hook and line, 
which is their method, draw them in as fast as they can 
throw ouj. This immense capture, however, makes but a 
very small diminution when compared to their numbers; 
and when their provision there is exhausted, or the season 
for propagation returns, they go oft’ to the polar seas, where 
they deposit their spawn. 
1 he Haddock is a well known fish of this genus, which 
touch resembles the cod, but is smaller ; it is also distin- 
guished by a black mark on each side beyond the gills, 
which superstition ascribes to the impression which St. 
Ecter left with his finger and thumb, when he took the 
tr| bute money out of the fish’s mouth, which tradition 
Would have us believe to have been of this species. 
4 he Whiting Pont is another fish of the same kind, 
Which in size seldom exceeds a foot. The back is much 
at'ched ; the scales larger than that of the cod ; and on each 
*ide of the jaw are seven or eight punctures. 
