152 
COD. 
making isinglass from the sounds of these fish. 
The process is thus described : T he sound re- 
cently cut from the fish must be laid upon a block 
of wood, whose surface is a little elliptical, at the 
end of which a small hair brush is nailed, and 
with a saw knife the membranes on each side of 
the sound must be scraped off. The knife is rubbed 
upon the brush occasionally, to clear its teeth : 
after the sounds have been cut open and perfectly 
cleansed of the mucous matter with a coarse cloth, 
they are washed a few minutes in lime-water, in 
order to absorb their oily principle ; and lastly, in 
clear water. They are then laid upon nets to dry 
in the air. The thicker the sounds are the better 
the isinglass ; except in the colour. 
February, March, and April, are considered as 
the three best months for this fishery, and immense 
numbers are taken during that time. The whole 
of them are caught by the hook and line; and 
though each fisherman takes no more than one fish 
at a time, an expert hand will sometimes catch four 
hundred in a day. In this manner is employment 
found for near fifteen thousand British seamen, and 
subsistence to a much more numerous people at 
home, who are engaged in the various manufactories 
which so vast a fishery demands. 
The cod are so voracious that they will swallow' 
almost any thing ; and even stones and pebbles 
have been found in their stomachs. They prin- 
cipally feed on worms, or small fish ; likewise on 
