THE XUME.. 
*43 
back a fourth. It has two pedoral, a dorfal, and an a- 
nal fin ; the eyes are covered with a lax Ikin, the iridea 
of a pale red ; the lips are thick, fat, and ruddy ; the o- 
rifices of the nofe appear one on each fide, raifed a- 
bove the furface ol the reft of the fkin *. 
The lump filh is caught on feveral parts of the BritiJJj 
coafts ; and though its flelh is held in no great eftimatioii, 
it is frequently feen for fale in the London market. The 
great refort of this fpecies, is the north fea upon the coafts 
°f Greenland While it prowls upon the top, the feals fwarm 
beneath, watching an opportunity to devour it. Infinite 
^umbers fall a prey to thefe animals, who fwallow all 
but the Ikin ; vaft quantities of which, thus emptied by 
l be feals, are feen floating above during the fpring months, 
w hen the fuckers approach near the land, for the purpofe 
Qf depofiting their fpawn. Every diftria where the feak 
Carr y on their depredation, is eafily diftinguilhed by the 
bfllors, on account of the fmoothnefs of the water : 
Wherever any oily fiih has been devoured below, the 
Wa ter at the top becomes tranquil, it being uniformly 
° u ud to be a property of oil to calm the agitation of the 
^uvcs f. 
The inhabitants of the barren trails of Greenland, who 
°bhged to draw a great part of their fuftenance from 
e fe a, avail themfelves alfo of this fiih ; the roe is re- 
^ ar kably large, and in the fummer months they take 
111 °n account of it ; when boiled, it forms an extremely 
fat 
0 j’ food; a kind of repaft, of which the necefiities 
food G reen l an ders have rendered them exceedingly 
1 1 2 ° 8- t Tranf. 1774, p. 445. 
2 s Greenland. 
