Though an inhabitant of most of the
lakes of Europe, the finest are found in Lapland; it sometimes weighs
thirty pounds, but its general weight is about six pounds.
lakes of Europe, the finest are found in Lapland; it sometimes weighs
thirty pounds, but its general weight is about six pounds.
Childrens - The Creation
When young it is considered delicate.
Singular to
say, this fish is also found in the middle of the Atlantic; but only
under particular circumstances. I remember once, between the
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Madeira Islands and the coast of America, coming up with a large
log of mahogany, floating; but covered entirely with a shell-fish called
Barnacle, a species of mussel. When towed alongside of our frigate,
we found a number of visitors attending it; some few of which
were dolphins, but principally a fish, which, from its colour, we called
Black Fish. In a few minutes the lines were down, and no cod fish
could take the bait more rapidly; and though in England it may be
called coarse, yet we found it a most delicious repast; and he that had
caught most was looked up to as a rich man, for the fortnight they
lasted. This may seem strange to you; but, as Captain Basil Hall
justly remarks, no people have so few fish as sailors. For weeks and
weeks, they see neither fish nor fowl--nothing but the ocean and the
sky.
Ling. This is not so delicate as the cod; but large quantities are
salted for exportation. It abounds about the Scilly Islands, the coasts
of Yorkshire, Scotland, and Ireland. In length, it sometimes reaches
five feet: it is long and slender. It is in perfection from February to
May. Its colour varies.
Burbot. This fish abounds in the Lake of Geneva, and it is also
found in the Trent. It is most forbidding to look at, but the flesh is
delicate.
Urenscope. The name of this animal is most significant: it means
" to look up to the heavens. " It is found in the Mediterranean: its
home is at the bottom of the sea. Its face is flat, and turns upwards;
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THE CREATION.
so that its eyes are always looking above it. How wonderful is this
provision! A beautiful moral is in the name of this fish, which I am
sure I need not apply.
Dragonet. This fish is a great traveller; and some of its colours
are of inconceivable beauty. The blue in particular glistens like
the diamond. It has been found in the cold of Spitzbergen, and in
the warmth of the Mediterranean, and is also caught off the Yorkshire
coast.
THE THIRD ORDER--THORACICI.
THE VENTRAL FINS BENEATH THE PECTORALS. --TWENTY-ONE GENERA. --FOUR
HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE SPECItS.
Comprising the King-jish, John Doree, Turbol, and other flat flsh. The Perch,
Mackerel, and Stickle-back Gurnard.
The King-fish. I have alluded to this fish before. It is found off
the coast of Normandy; and its colours are beautiful to look at,--
green, red, purple, with oval white spots.
John Doree. This singular name is the French Jaime Doree,
anglicised, or put into English. The shape of this fish is very unin-
viting, but its colour brilliant, like gold; as its French name implies,
" The yellow gilt fish. " It is a frequent visitor to our coasts. The
Brixton boats, in the south of Devon, often take them. The
Doree is also found in the Bay of Biscay, and the Mediterranean.
Though uninviting to the sight, this fish is very nutritious and
i
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valuable; it sometimes weighs even twelve pounds, but generally
between four and six.
Turbot. This fish almost takes rank above all that swim in our
native seas. It is of a square figure, rounded at the corners; its skin
is dark, speckled on the back, and white on the belly ; and this is the
case with all the fish of this family, as the Sole, Dab, Flounder,
Plaice, &c. ; but the Turbot and Sole are preferred beyond the others.
It sometimes weighs from twenty to thirty pounds.
Mackarel. This welcome fish comes to our shores in countless
numbers in the summer months. The proportions of this fish are
very symmetrical; and its colours, when in the water or first caught,
exceedingly beautiful; green varied with blue, and deep black lines, is
the colour of the back, and silvery underneath. The Romans highly
esteemed the Mackarel. It grows generally from nine inches to a foot
in length.
The Pilot-fish. This little Zebra of the water (for its stripes are
like the zebra) is an attendant on the shark. Some have said, that it
ministers to it as the jackal is said to do to the lion: certain it is that
you in general see them together; it seldom exceeds six inches, and
often not more than four.
Father Lasher. This is a curious name for a fish, and one expects
to meet something very large and formidable: but this is not the case
with it, at least not in size, though indeed it is formidable enough;
for no matter who attacks it, it directly prepares for battle. Its head.
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THE CREATION.
which is unusually large for its other parts, swells out; and
armed with long spines on it (though the whole fish seldom ex-
ceeds nine or ten inches), it lashes its enemy, and is generally
victorious. It derives its name, doubtless, from this habit. On
the shores of Greenland it is so numerous as to form the principal
food the of natives. It is said, that even the shark flees from this
little conqueror.
The Perch. This is a voracious little fish, well known in almost
all our rivers and ponds. The colours and scales of the perch are very
beautiful: the back and part of the sides are a deep green, with five
black bars; the belly is white, tinged with red; and the fins, at times,
nearly scarlet.
The Ch^todon, or Shooting-fish. I must not close this account
of the thoracics, or third order of fish, without telling you of the
singular provision of the Chaetodon. This fish has a hollow cylindrical
beak, which it uses in a very curious manner. It is a native of the
East Indies, where it frequents the entrance and banks of rivers.
When it sees a fly sitting on the grass or plants that grow in the
shallow water, it makes towards it, loads its little tube with a drop of
water, and shoots with such unerring certainty that the fly is sure to
fall, and soon becomes its easy prey.
The Parrot-fish. This singularly beautiful fish inhabits the rivers
and coasts of Cuba, and St. Domingo. Its fins are ornamented with
varied colours; indeed, what the most beautiful of the feathered tribes
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are to the woods, such is this brilliant fish to the waters. Its flesh,
however, is little esteemed.
THE FOURTH ORDER--ABDOMINALES.
VENTRAL FINS BEHIND THE PECTORALS--SIXTEEN GENERA. --TWO HUNDRED AND
TWO SPECIES.
Comprising the Salmon, Trout, Smelt, Herring, Sprat, Pilchard, Carp, Millet, Flying-
fish, Pike, Golden-fish.
This Order consists of fish almost all edible, and many of them well
known in our own seas and rivers.
The Salmon. This fish is too well known to need much descrip-
tion. It is fond of the north; indeed, it is never found in southern
latitudes. In some countries it is a principal commodity both of food
and commerce. There are stationary fisheries in Iceland, Norway,
the Baltic, Ireland, Scotland, and Berwick upon Tweed. The salmon
varies in size from ten to twenty and forty pounds, and sometimes it
has been known to weigh seventy. Fresh and salt water alike suit
the salmon at different seasons. Its power of leaping when ascending
rivers to deposit its spawn is almost incredible. Both in its propor-
tions and colours it is much admired; and its nutritious qualities,
whether fresh or salted, render it an invaluable gift to man.
The Trout. This species is found in almost all our rivers. The
i3
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THE CREATION.
body is long; the head round; the colour a bright brown, with
brilliant spots on it when in season.
The Smelt is a small beautiful fish, so transparent, that one can
almost see through it: its colours, at times, are very soft and silvery.
It is much esteemed by some invalids. It takes its name from its
odour, which resembles that of the cucumber.
The Herring. No fish performs the amazing voyages of the
herring. The great colonies migrate from the Polar Seas about the
middle of winter; as they advance, they separate into two great
armies: one body, moving westward, pours its millions down the
coast of America, to the Carolinas ;* the other directs its course to
Europe, and first appears off the Shetland Islands in April: here the
body again divides into two parts, one shoal thronging the eastern
coasts of Britain, on to the Land's End; and the other, the western,
to the utmost extremity of Ireland, carrying food and sustenance with
them to thousands, and hundreds of thousands of the human race; for
though I have particularized our own coasts, the shoals pass down the
northern coasts of the continent, and so on to Bordeaux, into the Bay
ef Biscay. The herring is nutritious in every state, whether fresh,
salted in brine, or preserved in the form well known as Red-herrings.
Carp. This fish, though now so generally known in ponds, was
not introduced into this country before the year 1514. It generally
weighs from three to six pounds, and sometimes more. It can be
? The southernmost of the United States of America.
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domesticated to an extraordinary degree, so that at a call it will come
and take bread from its owner's hands;--but most creatures are
susceptible of kindness; and the way to reach the heart of the sternest
man, and the most violent of the brute creation, is, if opportunity
offers, to do them some act of love. You remember the thorn that
was taken from the lion's paw, was not forgotten.
The Pilchard. We must go to Cornwall, and ask the inhabitants
of this our southern county--what is the value of this fish? and they
would tell you that it is beyond value; for not only does it supply food
all through the year to the poor people, but it yields profit to all
classes: the net-makers, fish-preservers, coopers, &c. ; indeed, the
pilchard is everybody's friend, old or young. The principal season is
July; and the following little account of Dr. Borlase, will, I think,
interest you:--he says, "At one shooting of the nets, fish were
enclosed that filled 7,000 hogsheads, and each hogshead contained
35,000 fishes:" that is, 7,000 x 35,000 = 245,000,000. The common
size of the pilchard is about six inches.
Sprat. If we went to Cornwall to inquire about the pilchard, we
will now come to the fisheries of the Thames and Medway, and
inquire as to the value of the sprat; and though the answer will not
be so full as the former, yet they would tell us, indeed, good things of
this little winter visitor. The sprat comes to our coast in November,
and leaves in March--the very time the poor most need a cheap sus-
tenance. I never shall forget, after a voyage from the West Indies
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THE CREATION.
to the Medway in January, how we welcomed a boat full of sprats;
The sprat is generally about four inches long; its flesh is very
nutritious. Some have called the sprat the young herring; but this
is incorrect: for the herring has fifty-six vertebra? , or joints, in the
back-bone, the sprat only forty-eight.
Flying-fish. This is indeed a beautiful little fish to meet in the
middle of the Atlantic; and the flesh, something like the whiting, is
more valued at sea than that of any other fish. Like many fish, they
will spring to a light; and thus, in low vessels, they sometimes fly on
board during the night; and in Barbadoes, the negroes catch them
by raising nets with lanthorns behind them:--five or six canoes in a
line have upright poles, on which the nets are suspended, with lights
fastened to them; the poor little flying-fish, thus attracted, spring to
the light, and are caught in numbers. The pectoral fins are very
large; these they extend in their flight. They do not clap their
wings like the common flight of birds, but rather skim the air like the
swallow. Their flight, however, looks more like a long extraordinary
spring, prolonged, in some manner, by the silvery wings. They vary
from the size of a sprat to that of a herring, but some are rather
larger.
Pike. This fish is well known as a kind of fresh-water shark, that
is, as to its voracious power.
Though an inhabitant of most of the
lakes of Europe, the finest are found in Lapland; it sometimes weighs
thirty pounds, but its general weight is about six pounds. Gessner
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<<ays, that the longevity of the pike is almost incredible; he mentions,
as an instance, one that was taken in Hailborn, in Swabia, in the year
1497, with these words engraven on a ring,--" I am the fish that was
first of all put into this lake, by Frederick EL, Oct . 5th, 1230. " This
gave it the age two hundred and sixty-seven years. The pike, or
jack, was first introduced in England in 1537.
THE FIFTH ORDER-BRANCHIOSTEGII.
GILLS DESTITUTE OF BONY RAYS. --TEN GENERA. --EIGHTY-FOUR SPECIES.
Comprising the Sun-fish, Pipe-fish, Sucker, and several Egyptian, Indian, and
Chinese Fish.
Sun-fish. The body of this singular fish is broad and short, and
appears like the head of a huge fish separated from the body. It has
a circular fin at its extremity; and this supplies the place of a tail.
It is destitute of scales, but covered with a tough thick skin. It
sometimes weighs two hundred pounds. It frequents the Mediter-
ranean Sea; and has been seen off our own island--but this rarely.
When boiled, the skin furnishes a thick glue. In the beginning of
last century, Dr. Mavor says, one was caught at Plymouth that
weighed five hundred pounds.
Pipe-fish. This animal is in shape like a pipe, from whence it
derives its name. It is sometimes two feet in length; but seldom
thicker than a swan's quill.
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THE CREATION.
Hippocampus. This is a curious little animal, with a bust like that
of a horse, and the tail of a fish. It is about three inches long.
Some varieties have what appears like a little mane. They are very
pretty to look upon, and are found in the Mediterranean and West
Indies.
THE SIXTH ORDER--CHONDROPTERYGII.
GILLS WITH CARTILAGINOUS RAYS. -- SEVEN GENERA. --SEVENTY SPECIES.
Comprising the Shark, Sturgeon, Lamprey, fye.
The Shark. This is the most ferocious of all the fish of the deep;
and its very name in Port Royal, Jamaica, is a dread to the sailors.
It is not that it is a very large fish; but it has an enormous mouth,
and several rows of saw-like teeth. I remember, when very young at
sea, mounting aloft, light-hearted and thoughtless, when, on looking
over the bow, I saw one of these monsters, with his fin just above
water; I involuntarily clung to the rigging; and, having accomplished
what I was sent about came down, holding very fast, as if I feared
I must fall. The shark varies in size from six to eight and ten feet.
It has two dorsal fins, and the form of its body decreases towards the
tail. Its skin is exceedingly rough, and is used by turners and others
for various purposes. The shark is found in all warm latitudes; and
I have known them follow a ship for days. Its flesh is very loath-
some. It is easily taken with bait; and even when captive on board,
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it uses its tail with tremendous power. It is generally attended by
the little Zebra Pilot Fish. One great providence connected with the
shark is the position of its mouth, which is situate under the head, so
that, to seize its prey it is obliged to turn on its side. Some natur-
alists have spoken of the shark as very swift; but at sea we always
give the palm to the dolphin. The negroes in the West Indies will
attack the shark. Their moment of attack is just as the monster is
turning on its side to bite; they then dive under him, and pierce his
abdomen with a long knife. You remember the account of our faith-
ful old black servant; of whom I have so often told you, who, in the
warmth of his affection would say, "Ah, massa, suppose you fall
overboard, and shark come, I see him, I soon jump overboard too,
and with a great knife kill him. "
The Sturgeon. The body of this enormous fish is long, somewhat
pentagonal, and covered with two rows of bony tubercles, like limpet-
shells. The sturgeon ascends the large rivers, both in the north and
south of Europe, to spawn; and from thence comes down and visits
all the countries around. It sometimes reaches the length of eighteen
feet, and weighs 500 pounds. The flesh was at one time much es-
teemed. The roe, when salted, is known by the name of caviar, and
its preparation is a lucrative branch of trade.
The nutritious aliment, so much recommended to the invalid, that
goes by the name of isinglass, is prepared from the swimming bladder
of this fish. Sometimes, however, the skin, entrails, fins, and tail, are
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THE CREATION.
all cut up into small pieces; and after being macerated together, are
made into an inferior jelly, which is spread out in large sheets like
parchment; and when dry, is ready for use. This is a most gracious
gift of God to man.
The Sea-Fox. The home of this voracious fish is the Mediterranean;
but it wanders far and wide for his prey. In length it is about eight
feet.
The Lamprey. This curious species is in shape much like the eel.
It has on each side seven apertures for respiration. It is found
chiefly in the Severn. It adheres by suction to any body to which it
is applied.
Having thus briefly endeavoured to bring before you the six great
orders of fish; before I proceed to speak of the Crustaceous and
Testaceous families, there are two orders of marine animals that belong
to this day's creation, that are of exceeding interest. The seal and
walrus tribes. Linnaeus arranges them under the head of Mammalia,
or animals that have breasts and suckle their young.
THE SEAL. >>
" The animals of this family," says an excellent article in the En-
cyclopaedia Britannica, "have a head something like a man, the body of
a quadruped, and the tail of a fish;" and thus, doubtless, the many
and wondrous tales about Mermaids may all be accounted for.
? Mammalia--Order III. Fera. --Linnseus.
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There are nineteen varieties of the seal inhabiting almost every
quarter of the globe; from the Straits of Behring to Chili and Aus-
tralia, and from Greenland to the Mediterranean; some very large,
reaching twenty feet in length, and others, again, not much bigger
than a good-sized lap-dog. The paws of the seal are very short, and
its toes are webbed. The hinder paws, if you may call them such,
are also short; and when they swim are used as the tail of a fish.
They make a noise something like a calf.
The seal is amphibious, that is, as the word means, it lives in both
elements, sea and land. If we want to know the value of the seal,
we will go to the poor Greenlander, and say to him, What are the
uses of the seal to you ? And he will point to his clothes, his light,
and his food; and say, Its skin covers me, its oil lights me, and its
flesh nourishes me.
Naturalists have given names to the nineteen varieties, with great
force of description, sometimes in allusion to their place of resort,
sometimes as to their peculiar properties, and sometimes in reference
to their relative size; thus we have the Greenland, Chilian, and Aus-
tralian seals; the Lion, Elephant, and Tortoise seal; the great and
little seal; and the Monk-hooded and Maned seal:--all these have
distinctive characters, but the great features are the same. In the
south of Britain we know little of these animals; but in the north they
abound, especially in the caves of the sea near Caithness. The seal
is capable of being tamed; and if treated kindly, manifests a good
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THE CREATION.
deal of affection. When met with on the land, some distance from
the water, so that their retreat to their home can be intercepted, they
are easily taken. They then are said to exhibit great terror, and will
weep floods of tears. They delight, like many other animals, in music.
In storms and tempests they in general come to the shore; where,
seated on rocks, they seem to delight in the fury of the elements.
THE WALRUS. *
1. Walrus, or Sea Horse of the Arctic Seas. --2. The Dugong, or Indian Walrus. --
3. Manatus of South America.
Walrus. All Arctic travellers know this singular marine animal,
and you now rarely see a picture of ships in the northern ice,
without the walrus with his long tusks, occupying a prominent
feature in the scene; not that its acquaintance is only of recent occur-
rence, for the Norwegian noble, Othar, writing to king Alfred, so
early as 896, mentions it as the Horse Whale, whose tusks were so
valuable to possess; and if valuable then, more so now, for, on account
of the closeness of the grain of the ivory, they are in great request by
the dentist for artificial teeth: the oil also of the walrus is no mean
prize, some yielding more than half a ton.
The form of this animal is just adapted for the element it princi-
pally lives in; it is, however, heavy in appearance, and very large,
sometimes reaching eighteen feet in length. The head is small, the
? Mammalia. --Order II. Bruta. --Linnaeus.
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? LETTER IX. 187
forehead broad; the tusks extend as low as the chest; the neck is thick,
and the fore and hind paws short like the seal's; indeed, some
naturalists have classed the seal and walrus as one family. Their
habits, however, are dissimilar in some respects. The walrus lives
principally on sea-weed. Their affection and attachment to each
other is very striking; on one being struck, (if he escapes,) he dives
down to some others of the same family, who will promptly resent the
injury done to their friend by attacking the boat that hurt him; and
in some cases their vengeance is not to be despised, as they will stave
a boat, or bite a piece out of it.
The Dugong. As the Walrus is the Sea Horse of the Arctic Ocean,
so the Dugong is of the Eastern. It is found at the Cape of Good
Hope, and the Philippine Islands.
The Manatus. This is the South American Sea Horse, and is
generally larger than either of the other animals of this family, some-
times reaching thirty feet in length. The natives prize the Manatus
greatly, and use all manner of stratagems to take it. There is also a
species of Manatus, called M. borealis;--it has no hair; it is found in
Behring's Straits; its length is about thirty feet; it has a very long
horizontal tail.
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
This amphibious animal, as its Greek name implies, is called the
River Horse; and is quite of a distinct family from the walrus,
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THE CREATION.
the size of the hippopotamus, when fully grown, is seventeen feet long,
seven feet high, and fifteen feet in circumference; with a skin that the
dart and barbed arrow can scarcely enter. Some have supposed this
animal to be the Behemoth of Job. Its home is in the borders of the
great African lakes, from the Niger to the Cape of Good Hope; it is
also found in Upper Egypt and Ethiopia. Except when compelled
by hunger, it seldom leaves its watery rest; but when hungry, nothing
can stand before it, and the rice-fields of the farmer, and the wild
fruit of the plains, are alike destroyed. If attacked in the water, it will
sometimes sink, and rising up under the boat, lift it out of the water ;
and at other times has smashed it to a wreck with its powerful jaws;
but though the glittering spear cannot touch it, a musket ball will
perforate the skin.
THE MARINE TURTLE.
This valuable animal, although generally classed with the Tortoise
tribes, yet is evidently amphibious, and was doubtless of the fifth day's
creation. Of the Tortoise tribes there are thirty-eight species; sixteen
live on the land, eighteen in fresh water, and four in the sea.
Having thus considered this most interesting class of amphibious
animals, we will now come down to the lesser creatures of the fifth
day; and first, of
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say, this fish is also found in the middle of the Atlantic; but only
under particular circumstances. I remember once, between the
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? LETTER IX.
173
Madeira Islands and the coast of America, coming up with a large
log of mahogany, floating; but covered entirely with a shell-fish called
Barnacle, a species of mussel. When towed alongside of our frigate,
we found a number of visitors attending it; some few of which
were dolphins, but principally a fish, which, from its colour, we called
Black Fish. In a few minutes the lines were down, and no cod fish
could take the bait more rapidly; and though in England it may be
called coarse, yet we found it a most delicious repast; and he that had
caught most was looked up to as a rich man, for the fortnight they
lasted. This may seem strange to you; but, as Captain Basil Hall
justly remarks, no people have so few fish as sailors. For weeks and
weeks, they see neither fish nor fowl--nothing but the ocean and the
sky.
Ling. This is not so delicate as the cod; but large quantities are
salted for exportation. It abounds about the Scilly Islands, the coasts
of Yorkshire, Scotland, and Ireland. In length, it sometimes reaches
five feet: it is long and slender. It is in perfection from February to
May. Its colour varies.
Burbot. This fish abounds in the Lake of Geneva, and it is also
found in the Trent. It is most forbidding to look at, but the flesh is
delicate.
Urenscope. The name of this animal is most significant: it means
" to look up to the heavens. " It is found in the Mediterranean: its
home is at the bottom of the sea. Its face is flat, and turns upwards;
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THE CREATION.
so that its eyes are always looking above it. How wonderful is this
provision! A beautiful moral is in the name of this fish, which I am
sure I need not apply.
Dragonet. This fish is a great traveller; and some of its colours
are of inconceivable beauty. The blue in particular glistens like
the diamond. It has been found in the cold of Spitzbergen, and in
the warmth of the Mediterranean, and is also caught off the Yorkshire
coast.
THE THIRD ORDER--THORACICI.
THE VENTRAL FINS BENEATH THE PECTORALS. --TWENTY-ONE GENERA. --FOUR
HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE SPECItS.
Comprising the King-jish, John Doree, Turbol, and other flat flsh. The Perch,
Mackerel, and Stickle-back Gurnard.
The King-fish. I have alluded to this fish before. It is found off
the coast of Normandy; and its colours are beautiful to look at,--
green, red, purple, with oval white spots.
John Doree. This singular name is the French Jaime Doree,
anglicised, or put into English. The shape of this fish is very unin-
viting, but its colour brilliant, like gold; as its French name implies,
" The yellow gilt fish. " It is a frequent visitor to our coasts. The
Brixton boats, in the south of Devon, often take them. The
Doree is also found in the Bay of Biscay, and the Mediterranean.
Though uninviting to the sight, this fish is very nutritious and
i
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valuable; it sometimes weighs even twelve pounds, but generally
between four and six.
Turbot. This fish almost takes rank above all that swim in our
native seas. It is of a square figure, rounded at the corners; its skin
is dark, speckled on the back, and white on the belly ; and this is the
case with all the fish of this family, as the Sole, Dab, Flounder,
Plaice, &c. ; but the Turbot and Sole are preferred beyond the others.
It sometimes weighs from twenty to thirty pounds.
Mackarel. This welcome fish comes to our shores in countless
numbers in the summer months. The proportions of this fish are
very symmetrical; and its colours, when in the water or first caught,
exceedingly beautiful; green varied with blue, and deep black lines, is
the colour of the back, and silvery underneath. The Romans highly
esteemed the Mackarel. It grows generally from nine inches to a foot
in length.
The Pilot-fish. This little Zebra of the water (for its stripes are
like the zebra) is an attendant on the shark. Some have said, that it
ministers to it as the jackal is said to do to the lion: certain it is that
you in general see them together; it seldom exceeds six inches, and
often not more than four.
Father Lasher. This is a curious name for a fish, and one expects
to meet something very large and formidable: but this is not the case
with it, at least not in size, though indeed it is formidable enough;
for no matter who attacks it, it directly prepares for battle. Its head.
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THE CREATION.
which is unusually large for its other parts, swells out; and
armed with long spines on it (though the whole fish seldom ex-
ceeds nine or ten inches), it lashes its enemy, and is generally
victorious. It derives its name, doubtless, from this habit. On
the shores of Greenland it is so numerous as to form the principal
food the of natives. It is said, that even the shark flees from this
little conqueror.
The Perch. This is a voracious little fish, well known in almost
all our rivers and ponds. The colours and scales of the perch are very
beautiful: the back and part of the sides are a deep green, with five
black bars; the belly is white, tinged with red; and the fins, at times,
nearly scarlet.
The Ch^todon, or Shooting-fish. I must not close this account
of the thoracics, or third order of fish, without telling you of the
singular provision of the Chaetodon. This fish has a hollow cylindrical
beak, which it uses in a very curious manner. It is a native of the
East Indies, where it frequents the entrance and banks of rivers.
When it sees a fly sitting on the grass or plants that grow in the
shallow water, it makes towards it, loads its little tube with a drop of
water, and shoots with such unerring certainty that the fly is sure to
fall, and soon becomes its easy prey.
The Parrot-fish. This singularly beautiful fish inhabits the rivers
and coasts of Cuba, and St. Domingo. Its fins are ornamented with
varied colours; indeed, what the most beautiful of the feathered tribes
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are to the woods, such is this brilliant fish to the waters. Its flesh,
however, is little esteemed.
THE FOURTH ORDER--ABDOMINALES.
VENTRAL FINS BEHIND THE PECTORALS--SIXTEEN GENERA. --TWO HUNDRED AND
TWO SPECIES.
Comprising the Salmon, Trout, Smelt, Herring, Sprat, Pilchard, Carp, Millet, Flying-
fish, Pike, Golden-fish.
This Order consists of fish almost all edible, and many of them well
known in our own seas and rivers.
The Salmon. This fish is too well known to need much descrip-
tion. It is fond of the north; indeed, it is never found in southern
latitudes. In some countries it is a principal commodity both of food
and commerce. There are stationary fisheries in Iceland, Norway,
the Baltic, Ireland, Scotland, and Berwick upon Tweed. The salmon
varies in size from ten to twenty and forty pounds, and sometimes it
has been known to weigh seventy. Fresh and salt water alike suit
the salmon at different seasons. Its power of leaping when ascending
rivers to deposit its spawn is almost incredible. Both in its propor-
tions and colours it is much admired; and its nutritious qualities,
whether fresh or salted, render it an invaluable gift to man.
The Trout. This species is found in almost all our rivers. The
i3
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THE CREATION.
body is long; the head round; the colour a bright brown, with
brilliant spots on it when in season.
The Smelt is a small beautiful fish, so transparent, that one can
almost see through it: its colours, at times, are very soft and silvery.
It is much esteemed by some invalids. It takes its name from its
odour, which resembles that of the cucumber.
The Herring. No fish performs the amazing voyages of the
herring. The great colonies migrate from the Polar Seas about the
middle of winter; as they advance, they separate into two great
armies: one body, moving westward, pours its millions down the
coast of America, to the Carolinas ;* the other directs its course to
Europe, and first appears off the Shetland Islands in April: here the
body again divides into two parts, one shoal thronging the eastern
coasts of Britain, on to the Land's End; and the other, the western,
to the utmost extremity of Ireland, carrying food and sustenance with
them to thousands, and hundreds of thousands of the human race; for
though I have particularized our own coasts, the shoals pass down the
northern coasts of the continent, and so on to Bordeaux, into the Bay
ef Biscay. The herring is nutritious in every state, whether fresh,
salted in brine, or preserved in the form well known as Red-herrings.
Carp. This fish, though now so generally known in ponds, was
not introduced into this country before the year 1514. It generally
weighs from three to six pounds, and sometimes more. It can be
? The southernmost of the United States of America.
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domesticated to an extraordinary degree, so that at a call it will come
and take bread from its owner's hands;--but most creatures are
susceptible of kindness; and the way to reach the heart of the sternest
man, and the most violent of the brute creation, is, if opportunity
offers, to do them some act of love. You remember the thorn that
was taken from the lion's paw, was not forgotten.
The Pilchard. We must go to Cornwall, and ask the inhabitants
of this our southern county--what is the value of this fish? and they
would tell you that it is beyond value; for not only does it supply food
all through the year to the poor people, but it yields profit to all
classes: the net-makers, fish-preservers, coopers, &c. ; indeed, the
pilchard is everybody's friend, old or young. The principal season is
July; and the following little account of Dr. Borlase, will, I think,
interest you:--he says, "At one shooting of the nets, fish were
enclosed that filled 7,000 hogsheads, and each hogshead contained
35,000 fishes:" that is, 7,000 x 35,000 = 245,000,000. The common
size of the pilchard is about six inches.
Sprat. If we went to Cornwall to inquire about the pilchard, we
will now come to the fisheries of the Thames and Medway, and
inquire as to the value of the sprat; and though the answer will not
be so full as the former, yet they would tell us, indeed, good things of
this little winter visitor. The sprat comes to our coast in November,
and leaves in March--the very time the poor most need a cheap sus-
tenance. I never shall forget, after a voyage from the West Indies
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THE CREATION.
to the Medway in January, how we welcomed a boat full of sprats;
The sprat is generally about four inches long; its flesh is very
nutritious. Some have called the sprat the young herring; but this
is incorrect: for the herring has fifty-six vertebra? , or joints, in the
back-bone, the sprat only forty-eight.
Flying-fish. This is indeed a beautiful little fish to meet in the
middle of the Atlantic; and the flesh, something like the whiting, is
more valued at sea than that of any other fish. Like many fish, they
will spring to a light; and thus, in low vessels, they sometimes fly on
board during the night; and in Barbadoes, the negroes catch them
by raising nets with lanthorns behind them:--five or six canoes in a
line have upright poles, on which the nets are suspended, with lights
fastened to them; the poor little flying-fish, thus attracted, spring to
the light, and are caught in numbers. The pectoral fins are very
large; these they extend in their flight. They do not clap their
wings like the common flight of birds, but rather skim the air like the
swallow. Their flight, however, looks more like a long extraordinary
spring, prolonged, in some manner, by the silvery wings. They vary
from the size of a sprat to that of a herring, but some are rather
larger.
Pike. This fish is well known as a kind of fresh-water shark, that
is, as to its voracious power.
Though an inhabitant of most of the
lakes of Europe, the finest are found in Lapland; it sometimes weighs
thirty pounds, but its general weight is about six pounds. Gessner
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<<ays, that the longevity of the pike is almost incredible; he mentions,
as an instance, one that was taken in Hailborn, in Swabia, in the year
1497, with these words engraven on a ring,--" I am the fish that was
first of all put into this lake, by Frederick EL, Oct . 5th, 1230. " This
gave it the age two hundred and sixty-seven years. The pike, or
jack, was first introduced in England in 1537.
THE FIFTH ORDER-BRANCHIOSTEGII.
GILLS DESTITUTE OF BONY RAYS. --TEN GENERA. --EIGHTY-FOUR SPECIES.
Comprising the Sun-fish, Pipe-fish, Sucker, and several Egyptian, Indian, and
Chinese Fish.
Sun-fish. The body of this singular fish is broad and short, and
appears like the head of a huge fish separated from the body. It has
a circular fin at its extremity; and this supplies the place of a tail.
It is destitute of scales, but covered with a tough thick skin. It
sometimes weighs two hundred pounds. It frequents the Mediter-
ranean Sea; and has been seen off our own island--but this rarely.
When boiled, the skin furnishes a thick glue. In the beginning of
last century, Dr. Mavor says, one was caught at Plymouth that
weighed five hundred pounds.
Pipe-fish. This animal is in shape like a pipe, from whence it
derives its name. It is sometimes two feet in length; but seldom
thicker than a swan's quill.
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THE CREATION.
Hippocampus. This is a curious little animal, with a bust like that
of a horse, and the tail of a fish. It is about three inches long.
Some varieties have what appears like a little mane. They are very
pretty to look upon, and are found in the Mediterranean and West
Indies.
THE SIXTH ORDER--CHONDROPTERYGII.
GILLS WITH CARTILAGINOUS RAYS. -- SEVEN GENERA. --SEVENTY SPECIES.
Comprising the Shark, Sturgeon, Lamprey, fye.
The Shark. This is the most ferocious of all the fish of the deep;
and its very name in Port Royal, Jamaica, is a dread to the sailors.
It is not that it is a very large fish; but it has an enormous mouth,
and several rows of saw-like teeth. I remember, when very young at
sea, mounting aloft, light-hearted and thoughtless, when, on looking
over the bow, I saw one of these monsters, with his fin just above
water; I involuntarily clung to the rigging; and, having accomplished
what I was sent about came down, holding very fast, as if I feared
I must fall. The shark varies in size from six to eight and ten feet.
It has two dorsal fins, and the form of its body decreases towards the
tail. Its skin is exceedingly rough, and is used by turners and others
for various purposes. The shark is found in all warm latitudes; and
I have known them follow a ship for days. Its flesh is very loath-
some. It is easily taken with bait; and even when captive on board,
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it uses its tail with tremendous power. It is generally attended by
the little Zebra Pilot Fish. One great providence connected with the
shark is the position of its mouth, which is situate under the head, so
that, to seize its prey it is obliged to turn on its side. Some natur-
alists have spoken of the shark as very swift; but at sea we always
give the palm to the dolphin. The negroes in the West Indies will
attack the shark. Their moment of attack is just as the monster is
turning on its side to bite; they then dive under him, and pierce his
abdomen with a long knife. You remember the account of our faith-
ful old black servant; of whom I have so often told you, who, in the
warmth of his affection would say, "Ah, massa, suppose you fall
overboard, and shark come, I see him, I soon jump overboard too,
and with a great knife kill him. "
The Sturgeon. The body of this enormous fish is long, somewhat
pentagonal, and covered with two rows of bony tubercles, like limpet-
shells. The sturgeon ascends the large rivers, both in the north and
south of Europe, to spawn; and from thence comes down and visits
all the countries around. It sometimes reaches the length of eighteen
feet, and weighs 500 pounds. The flesh was at one time much es-
teemed. The roe, when salted, is known by the name of caviar, and
its preparation is a lucrative branch of trade.
The nutritious aliment, so much recommended to the invalid, that
goes by the name of isinglass, is prepared from the swimming bladder
of this fish. Sometimes, however, the skin, entrails, fins, and tail, are
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THE CREATION.
all cut up into small pieces; and after being macerated together, are
made into an inferior jelly, which is spread out in large sheets like
parchment; and when dry, is ready for use. This is a most gracious
gift of God to man.
The Sea-Fox. The home of this voracious fish is the Mediterranean;
but it wanders far and wide for his prey. In length it is about eight
feet.
The Lamprey. This curious species is in shape much like the eel.
It has on each side seven apertures for respiration. It is found
chiefly in the Severn. It adheres by suction to any body to which it
is applied.
Having thus briefly endeavoured to bring before you the six great
orders of fish; before I proceed to speak of the Crustaceous and
Testaceous families, there are two orders of marine animals that belong
to this day's creation, that are of exceeding interest. The seal and
walrus tribes. Linnaeus arranges them under the head of Mammalia,
or animals that have breasts and suckle their young.
THE SEAL. >>
" The animals of this family," says an excellent article in the En-
cyclopaedia Britannica, "have a head something like a man, the body of
a quadruped, and the tail of a fish;" and thus, doubtless, the many
and wondrous tales about Mermaids may all be accounted for.
? Mammalia--Order III. Fera. --Linnseus.
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There are nineteen varieties of the seal inhabiting almost every
quarter of the globe; from the Straits of Behring to Chili and Aus-
tralia, and from Greenland to the Mediterranean; some very large,
reaching twenty feet in length, and others, again, not much bigger
than a good-sized lap-dog. The paws of the seal are very short, and
its toes are webbed. The hinder paws, if you may call them such,
are also short; and when they swim are used as the tail of a fish.
They make a noise something like a calf.
The seal is amphibious, that is, as the word means, it lives in both
elements, sea and land. If we want to know the value of the seal,
we will go to the poor Greenlander, and say to him, What are the
uses of the seal to you ? And he will point to his clothes, his light,
and his food; and say, Its skin covers me, its oil lights me, and its
flesh nourishes me.
Naturalists have given names to the nineteen varieties, with great
force of description, sometimes in allusion to their place of resort,
sometimes as to their peculiar properties, and sometimes in reference
to their relative size; thus we have the Greenland, Chilian, and Aus-
tralian seals; the Lion, Elephant, and Tortoise seal; the great and
little seal; and the Monk-hooded and Maned seal:--all these have
distinctive characters, but the great features are the same. In the
south of Britain we know little of these animals; but in the north they
abound, especially in the caves of the sea near Caithness. The seal
is capable of being tamed; and if treated kindly, manifests a good
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THE CREATION.
deal of affection. When met with on the land, some distance from
the water, so that their retreat to their home can be intercepted, they
are easily taken. They then are said to exhibit great terror, and will
weep floods of tears. They delight, like many other animals, in music.
In storms and tempests they in general come to the shore; where,
seated on rocks, they seem to delight in the fury of the elements.
THE WALRUS. *
1. Walrus, or Sea Horse of the Arctic Seas. --2. The Dugong, or Indian Walrus. --
3. Manatus of South America.
Walrus. All Arctic travellers know this singular marine animal,
and you now rarely see a picture of ships in the northern ice,
without the walrus with his long tusks, occupying a prominent
feature in the scene; not that its acquaintance is only of recent occur-
rence, for the Norwegian noble, Othar, writing to king Alfred, so
early as 896, mentions it as the Horse Whale, whose tusks were so
valuable to possess; and if valuable then, more so now, for, on account
of the closeness of the grain of the ivory, they are in great request by
the dentist for artificial teeth: the oil also of the walrus is no mean
prize, some yielding more than half a ton.
The form of this animal is just adapted for the element it princi-
pally lives in; it is, however, heavy in appearance, and very large,
sometimes reaching eighteen feet in length. The head is small, the
? Mammalia. --Order II. Bruta. --Linnaeus.
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? LETTER IX. 187
forehead broad; the tusks extend as low as the chest; the neck is thick,
and the fore and hind paws short like the seal's; indeed, some
naturalists have classed the seal and walrus as one family. Their
habits, however, are dissimilar in some respects. The walrus lives
principally on sea-weed. Their affection and attachment to each
other is very striking; on one being struck, (if he escapes,) he dives
down to some others of the same family, who will promptly resent the
injury done to their friend by attacking the boat that hurt him; and
in some cases their vengeance is not to be despised, as they will stave
a boat, or bite a piece out of it.
The Dugong. As the Walrus is the Sea Horse of the Arctic Ocean,
so the Dugong is of the Eastern. It is found at the Cape of Good
Hope, and the Philippine Islands.
The Manatus. This is the South American Sea Horse, and is
generally larger than either of the other animals of this family, some-
times reaching thirty feet in length. The natives prize the Manatus
greatly, and use all manner of stratagems to take it. There is also a
species of Manatus, called M. borealis;--it has no hair; it is found in
Behring's Straits; its length is about thirty feet; it has a very long
horizontal tail.
THE HIPPOPOTAMUS.
This amphibious animal, as its Greek name implies, is called the
River Horse; and is quite of a distinct family from the walrus,
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THE CREATION.
the size of the hippopotamus, when fully grown, is seventeen feet long,
seven feet high, and fifteen feet in circumference; with a skin that the
dart and barbed arrow can scarcely enter. Some have supposed this
animal to be the Behemoth of Job. Its home is in the borders of the
great African lakes, from the Niger to the Cape of Good Hope; it is
also found in Upper Egypt and Ethiopia. Except when compelled
by hunger, it seldom leaves its watery rest; but when hungry, nothing
can stand before it, and the rice-fields of the farmer, and the wild
fruit of the plains, are alike destroyed. If attacked in the water, it will
sometimes sink, and rising up under the boat, lift it out of the water ;
and at other times has smashed it to a wreck with its powerful jaws;
but though the glittering spear cannot touch it, a musket ball will
perforate the skin.
THE MARINE TURTLE.
This valuable animal, although generally classed with the Tortoise
tribes, yet is evidently amphibious, and was doubtless of the fifth day's
creation. Of the Tortoise tribes there are thirty-eight species; sixteen
live on the land, eighteen in fresh water, and four in the sea.
Having thus considered this most interesting class of amphibious
animals, we will now come down to the lesser creatures of the fifth
day; and first, of
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