IfiO G A D U S. 
neglefl their food. As the oil of this fpecles can only be 
obtained while the animal is in feafon, I'o it can be ex. 
tradled from the liver only by a flow fire ; if a violent heat 
be applied in melting it, a very fmall quantity will be 
had from the fiflt, even in its greatefl perfeftion. Such 
filh as are cured for exportation, niufl: meafure a certain 
length from the flioulder to the tail, otherwife they are 
not entitled to the bounty which parliament has granted 
for the encouragement of this trade ; twenty-fix inches is 
the length of a fizeable fifli ; thofe of inferior dimenfions 
are called drizzles ; and, becaufe incapable of procreation, 
they continue in feafon during the whole fummer. Next 
to the herring and the cod, this fifh, on account of its ra- 
pid increafe, is the moft important article of commerce 
for feveral nations. In England, great quantities are falt- 
cd for home confumption as well as for exportation ; they 
are prepared like the cod, but keep better in long voy¬ 
ages. From Norway they export annually gojooolbs. 
weight of them ; the fpring is the time for the filhery in 
that country, and the bed places are the fand-banks near 
Storregen ; the little bubbles which rife to the furface of 
the water point out the fpot where the fifli are to be found, 
which is moflly in deep places, where they feed on craw- 
filh, crabs, and fmall fifh ; gurnards have been found in 
the ftomach, and even half-digefled plaife. This fpecies 
is found alfo at Spitzbergen and Newfoundland, but of 
an inferior quality ; likewife in Greenland and Lapland ; 
thofe of Iceland are fo bad, that the inhabitants are 
obliged to eat them, becaufe they cannot fell them. The 
beft fort are taken up in great plenty in the month of 
Auguft near Hittland, where they dry them in the fame 
manner as the common cod ; they are taken with a ground 
line fixty fathoms long, baited with herrings and other 
fifh. Eaten frefli, they are very good food, when in fea- 
Ibn, which is from February till May, and are even pre¬ 
ferable to the cod. 
15. Gadus albidus, the black-and-white gadus : fpeci- 
fic character, a barbie from the chin, the ventral fins two 
long divided rays. There are feven rays in the membrane 
of the gills, ten in thefirfl: dorfal fin, fifty-fix in the fe- 
cond, eleven in each pectoral, two in each ventral, fifty- 
three in the anal, and fixteen in the tail. We have al¬ 
ready deferibed a fpecies, the bUnnioides, with didactylous 
rays in the ventral fins, fimilar to the blenny ; but the 
prefent, with a fimilar appearance, belongs to a different 
divilion, having but two dorfal fins and one anal. This, 
however, has the fame haunts, the Mediterranean fea ; 
it is not more than four inches long, of an oblong fliapc, 
flippery, and llightly comprelfed. The head is of a pale 
red colour, flatat top, comprelfed at the Tides ; two fpines 
behind the eyes. The lower jaw is the (hortefl, and there 
are feven dents or punifures underneath on each fide. 
The teeth arc fmall, pointed, and clofe together. The 
eyes large, with a white iris. The lateral line flrait. 
The general colour is whitifli, head reddifh ; black fpots 
and edgings to the fins; the tail-fin is rounded, and of a 
blackifli hue. It is placed by Cepede among the blen- 
nies. 
16. Gadus tail, the toad-filh : many little barbies 
hanging from the lower jaw, and three fpines in the firfl; 
dorfal fin, and in etich operculum, form the fuecific cha¬ 
racter. There arc lix rays in the membrane of the gills, 
twenty in the peifforal fins, fix in the ventrals, fifteen in the 
anal, twelve in the tail, three in the firll dorlal, and 
twenty in the fecond. The head of this fifli is large, 
broad, and flattened ; the under jaw is protruded, and 
the barbies form a femicircle. Both jaws are armed with 
fharp teeth of various lengths ; they form two rows in the 
lower jaw, and more in the upper ; there alfp two rows 
on each fide in the roof of the mouth. The tongue is 
fhbrt, pointed, .and hard. The eyes are large and pro- 
tuberant, and half-way covered with a membrane; the 
pupil is black, the iris gold colour. Between the eyes, 
there is in the neck a furrow and a yellow flripe acrols ex- 
hibiting fome,rcfemblance to the Greek t (tau), whence 
the fpecific name ; on each fide of the eyes Is a row of lit- 
tlewvarts, which take a direftion towards the chin. The 
gill-coverts confift; of two laminae, ending in three fpines; 
the membrane of the gills is loofe. The head is brown ; 
the body and fins are of the fame colour, with white fpots, 
and the belly is a dirty white. The anus is fomewhat 
nearer to the aperture of the mouth than to the end of the 
tail fin. The body is covered with flime ; it is fmooth ; 
and the fcales are foft, thin, and fo fmall as hardly to be 
vifible to the eye ; they are round, and of a brown colour 
edged with white. The pedforal fins terminate in a point, 
as well as the ventrals, which lafl: lie under the throat, 
and the firfl ray is ftrong, flilF, and longer than the reft; 
the firfl dorfal is fliort, and confifls of three fpiny rays; 
the fecond dorfal, and the anal, have Ample rays much 
protruded beyond the membrane ; but the tail-fin, which, 
is round, and alfo the peifloral fins, have forked rays. 
This fpecies is found in Carolina, and is there called toad, 
fijli, on account of its colour ; it is alfo found in Hudl'on’s 
Bay, and thereabouts; and is of the voracious kind, as 
may be concluded from the large mouth, and numerous 
teeth. See Plate II. fig. 3. 
17. Gadus Iota, the barbot, or eel-pout : fpecific cha- 
rafter, the jaws of equal length, with one or more bar¬ 
bies from the lower. There are feven rays in the mem¬ 
brane of the gills, twenty in the peftoral fins, fix in the 
ventrals, fixty-feven in the anal, thirty-fix in the tail, 
fourteen in the firlt dorfal, fixty-eight in the fecond. Tlie 
head is large, broad, and flatted below. The aperture of 
the mouth is large ; the jaws are armed with feven rows 
of little lliarp teeth, and a Angle barbie hangs from the 
lower. The tongue is broad; and there are feveral jag¬ 
ged bones about the palate. The noftrils are double; 
the foremort: covered with a membrane. The eyes are 
fmall; the pupil bluifli, the iris yellow. The membrane 
of the gills lies acrofs, and is pretty broad. The body is 
laterally coinprelied, variegated with black and yellow ; 
fometimes brown with pale yellow fpots, according to 
the waters in which it is bred up. It is foft, fmooth, and 
lubricated like an eel ; it has fmall, foft, thin, fcales, 
which have been overlooked by various authors. As the 
head is fliaped like a frog’s, and the body like an eel, the 
Dutch call it and the Englilh, eel-pout. The late¬ 
ral line is flraight, the belly wlfite, and the tail-fin round. 
The vent is nearer to the head than to the tail. The anal 
and dorfal fins are narrow, and mottled like the body. 
See Plate II. fig. i. 
Of this numerous genus, the burbot is the only fpecies 
which lives in frefli water, and in rivers or lakes indiffe¬ 
rently. It is indigenous not only to Germany, and other 
parts of Europe, but alfo to the Eafl-Indies. It abounds 
in the lake of Geneva, and is found in feveral of the rivers 
in the north oY England. According to Dr. Schtepf, it 
is found in Hiidfon’s Bay, and tlie waters thereabouts; 
and Falk fays it lives in all the frelh-water rivers of Riiflia 
and Siberia; in feveral places they make ifinglafs from it, 
which however is not near fo good as what comes from 
the fturgeon : in Siberia and many parts of Riiffia, efpe- 
cially among the country people, they ufe the (kin of this 
filh inftead of glafs, and it is as clear as oiled paper ; the 
Oftides and Tfcimlymch Tartars ufe the fkins for their 
fummer-drefs, and make bags of it to preferve their pel¬ 
try. The barbot is particularly fond of clear water, and 
hides in the hollows formed by (tones, watching for the 
fifh as they fwim by ; they alfo feed on w-orms and aquatic 
infeits, and, when other food fails, they devour one ano¬ 
ther ; they will even attack the flickleback, in which 
they fometimes lofe their lives, for the flickleback in 
flriiggling drives bis fliarp fpine into the throat of the bar¬ 
bot, and they have been caught in this (ituation ; the 
barbot, on the other band, is often the prey of the pike 
and other rapacious kinds. When well fed, it grows 
pretty fall, and attains the length of two or tliree feet, 
and weighs from ten to twelve pounds. As they are har¬ 
dy and tenacious of life, they may.be kept fome time by 
feeding 
