in the mean time, loosened and let go the line, which was furnished with a buoy that floated on the surface of the ocean, and marked the course the Sucking-fish had taken; and he pursued it in his canoe, until he perceived his game to be nearly exhausted. He, then, taking up the buoy, gradually drew the line towards the shore; the Suckingfish still adhering with so inflexible a tenacity to his prey as not easily to be removed.

OF THE DOREE TRIBE.

NONE of the fishes of the present tribe were known to the ancient naturalists, except the Common Dorée. There are about eight species, some of which are found in the European, and others in the American seas. One of them, which inhabits the fresh waters of India, swims near the surface, like the beaked Chaetodon, and catches aquatic insects, by jetting water upon them from its mouth. The wings of the insects are by this means wetted, and they become an easy prey.

THE COMMON, OR JOHN DORÉE.

The ancients were well acquainted with the John Dorée: it is

JOHN DOREE.

expressly mentioned in the writings both of Ovid and Pliny. This fish, and not the Haddock, is, by many persons, supposed to have been the same out of the mouth of which the apostle Peter, at the command of our Saviour, took the tribute-money. The indication of this is stated to be a dark spot, somewhat like a finger mark, on each side of the head.

The Dorée is a very voracious animal: it feeds on various species of small fish, which it pursues with great rapidity. It will seize, and almost without discrimination, all kinds of baits. The auda ciousness of the Dorée ought not to surprise us, when we consider that, independently of the enormous dimensions of its mouth, and the number and strength of its teeth, it has a longitudinal range of strong spines, not only on each side of the dorsal fins, but likewise from the mouth all the way to the second anal fin. These tend to protect it from injury by its enemies of the deep.

When the Dorée is taken alive out of the water, it is able to compress its internal organs so rapidly, that the air, in rushing through

THE TURBOT AND HOLIBUT.

873

the openings of the gills, produces a kind of noise somewhat like that which, on similar occasions, is emitted by the Gurnards.

The Dorée is found in the North Sea, in the British Channel, the Mediterranean, and the Atlantic Ocean.

OF THE FLAT-FISH IN GENERAL.

THE present tribe comprehends those fish that are usually denominated Flat-fish; such as the Turbot, Plaise, Flounder, Sole, &c. These are generally confined to the muddy or sandy banks of the sea, where they have the power of burying themselves, as far as the head, for the purpose of escaping the devastations, of the more rapacious tribes. They seldom rise far from the bottom, since, from the want of an air-bladder to buoy them up, which most of the other fishes possess, they are compelled to use their pectoral fins for this purpose, in somewhat the same manner as birds use their wings to rise in the air; and this is not done without considerable exertion. Here, therefore, they generally swim, with their bodies in an oblique position, and feed on such aquatic animals as come in their way.

Many of them as the Holibut, Turbot, and some others, grow to a large size. The eyes of the whole tribe are situated on one side of the head. It is a curious circumstance, that, while the under parts of their body are of a brilliant white, the upper parts are so colored and speckled, as, when they were half immersed, in the sand or mud, to render them almost imperceptible. Of this resemblance they are so conscious, that whenever they find themselves in danger, they sink into the mud, and there continue motionless. This is a circumstance so well known to fishermen, that within their palings on the strand they are often under the necessity, of tracing furrows with a kind of iron sickle in order to direct by the touch, what they are not otherwise able to distinguish. Not being rapacious, nor furnished with any weapons of defence, these fishes owe their security to this stratagem; while the Thornback and Rays, which are carnivorous, and armed with strong spines, although Flat-fish of a different class, are marbled with lighter colors, that they may be perceived and avoided by less powerful fish.

THE TURBOT, AND HOLIBUT.

The northern parts of the English coast, and some places off the coast of Holland, afford Turbots in greater abundance, and in greater excellence, than any other parts of the world. Lying here, however, in deep waters, they are seldom to be caught but by lines.

In fishing for Turbot off the Yorkshire coast, three men go out in each of the boats, each man furnished with three lines, and every line having two hundred and eighty hooks, placed exactly six feet two inches asunder. These are coiled on an oblong piece of wicker-work. with the hooks baited and placed very regularly in the centre of the

coil. When they are used, the nine lines are generally fastened

together, so as to form one line, with above two thousand hooks, and extending nearly three miles in length. This is always laid across the current; and an anchor and buoy are fixed at the end of each man's line. The tides run here so rapidly, that the fishermen can only shoot and haul their lines during the still water at the turn of the tide; and therefore, as it is flood an l ebb about every alternate six hours, this is the longest time the lines remain on the ground. When the lines are laid, two of the men can usually wrap themselves in the sail and sleep, whilst the third is on watch, to prevent their being run down by ships, and to observe the weather.

TURBOT.

The bait that the Turbots take most readily is a fresh Herring, cut into proper-sized pieces: they are also partial to the smaller Lampreys, pieces of Haddock, Sand-worms, Muscles, and Limpets; and when none of these are to be had, the fishermen use Bullock's liver. The hooks are two inches and a half long in the shank, and nearly an inch wide between the shank and the point. These are fastened to the lines upon sneads of twisted Horse-hair, twenty-seven inches in length. The line is made of small cording, and is always tanned before it is used.

The voracity of Turbot, when in pursuit of prey, is often such, that it carries them into the mouths of rivers, or the entrance of ponds in salt-marshes, which communicate with the sea. But they are not contented with merely employing agility and strength in procuring their food, they likewise have recourse to stratagem. They plunge themselves into the mud or sand at the bottom of the sea, and cover their whole body, except their eyes and mouth. Thus concealed, they seize upon and devour all the smaller kinds of fish which incautiously approach them. It is said that they are very particular in the choice of their food, invariably refusing all except living animals, or such as are not in the least degree putrid. And the fishermen assert, that they are never to be caught with baits which have been bitten by other fish.

In many parts of England, Turbot and Holibut are sold indiscrimi nately for each other. They are, however, perfectly distinct; the upper parts of the former being marked with large, unequal, and obtuse tubercles; while those of the latter are quite smooth, and covered with oblong soft scales, that adhere firmly to the body. The eyes of the Turbot also are on the left, whilst those of the Holibut are on the right of the head.

Holibuts are sometimes caught of such immense size, on the northern coasts of England, as to weigh from two to three hundred pounds. Olafsen speaks of having seen one in Iceland, which measured five clls in length.

The Greenlanders employ the membrane of the stomach of the Holibut, in place of glass for their windows.

THE BEAKED CHETODON

875

THE PLAISE AND FLOUNDER.

The general habits both of the Plaise and Flounder, resemble those of all the other flat-fish. These fish are each found in great abundance in most of the European seas. Flounders often ascend rivers, and occasionally even so far as to be beyond the immediate influence of the tides.

OF THE CHETODON TRIBE.

In this tribe, although the species are very numerous, there is only one of which I have met with any account in the least degree interesting.

The head and mouth of the Chaetodons are small, and they have the power of pushing out and retracting the lips, so as to make a tubular orifice. The teeth are mostly bristle-shaped, flexible, moveable, closely set, and very numerous. The gill-membrane has from three to six rays. The body is scaly, broad, and compressed; and the dorsal and anal fins are generally terminated with prickles.

The Beaked Chaetodon or Shooting-fish frequents the shores and mouths of rivers in

India, and about the Indian islands. It is somewhat more than six inches in length.

This fish feeds principally on flies and other small winged insects that hover about the waters it inhabits; and the mode of taking its prey is very remarkable. When it sees a fly at a distance, on any of the plants in the shallow water, it approaches very

сп. автором.

slowly, and with the utmost caution, coming as much as possible perpendicularly under the object. Then putting its body in an oblique

direction, with the mouth and eyes near

the surface, it remains for a moment imwoll movable. Having fixed its eyes directly on the insect, it shoots at it a drop of water from its tubular snout, but without showing its mouth above the surface, from whence only the drop seems to rise. This is done with so much dexterity, that though at the distance of four, five, or six feet, it seldom fails to bring the fly into the water. With the closest attention the mouth could never be discovered above the surtace, although the fish has been seen to eject several drops one after another, without leaving the place, or in the smallest apparent degree moving its body.

CHETODON.

This very singular action was reported to M. Hommel, the governor of the hospital at Batavia, near which place the species is sometimes found; and it so far excited his curiosity, that he was determined, if possible, to convince himself of its truth, by ocular demonstration.

For this purpose, he ordered a large, wide tub to be filled with seawater he then had some of these fish caught and put into it; and the

BAT CUSTOBON

water was changed every other day. After a while, they seemed reconciled to their confinement; and he tried the experiment. A 100 slender stick, with a fly fastened at the end, was placed in such a manner on the side of the vessel, as to enable the fish to strike it; and it was not without inexpressible delight, that he daily saw them exercising their skill in shooting at it with amazing force and seldom missing their mark.

The flesh of this species is white and well tasted.

The Bat Chaetodon found near Ceylon is a large species with very broad fins.