106 
THREE-BEARi)EB ROCKLING. 
appears from the circumstance of an example which was found 
in the stomach of a fish caught at the depth of forty fathoms; 
but the rarity of such an instance tends to shew that so great 
a distance from land is not their usual resort. It is when they 
have leached their largest size that they become of importance 
to fishermen on some parts of the coast, where they are valued 
for the table by gentlemen who have learnt to esteem them as 
a delicacy. Their station is always at the bottom, where their 
food for the most part is the smaller crustaceans and worms; 
but in the month of January, after stormy weather, there were 
found in some that had been thrown on shore, entangled in 
loose sea-weed, not only crustacean animals, but loose pieces of 
brown sea-weed. 
This species is rather widely distributed, so that it is found 
as far north as Sweden, and it is set down by Mr. Lowe 
amongst the fishes of Madeira. It is also common in the 
Mediterranean, where it has been judged to form one of the 
fishes named by the ancients Ascllus, (Pliny, B. 9, C. 23.) 
Cuvier says that nearly all naturalists, after the example of 
Rondelctius, have applied this name (of Asellus) to the Merlus, 
the Gadus merlucius of Linnaeus, or Hake; and he appears to 
take credit to himself for saying that he has found only one 
fish to which he might apply the character of the ancient 
Asellus; and that is the present species, Motella tricirrata, or 
Three-bearded Rockling. But on the other hand we find 
Jonston anticipating Cuvier, in quoting Rondeletius for the 
same opinion; and yet on referring to Rondeletius, we find him 
limiting his remark by saying that this Rockling is the lesser 
Asellus, or Callarias minor, and that his other kind of Asellus, 
or Callarias hacchus, is the merlucius, or Hake. Why this last 
kind of Asellus was called bacchus we leave to conjecture; but 
it may have been that as it was mostly used in a salted state 
by ordinary pei’sons, it produced the effect of sending them 
often to the wine shop. 
This fish spawns about the end of winter; and I have kn^vn 
it large with spawn about the end of April. 
The Three-bearded Rockling in its general shape resembles 
the Ling, and sometimes attains the length of fourteen inches; 
head flattened on the top, a little compressed at the sides ; under 
jaw shortest, teeth in both, a triangular arrangement of them in 
