Dr. Latham, in his “General History of Birds,” gives some very

interesting information about the habits of this bird. “One of them, a

young bird about five feet high, was brought up tame, and presented to

the chief of the Bananas, where M. Speakman lived; and being accustomed

to be fed in the great hall, soon became familiar, daily attending that

place at dinner-time, placing itself behind its master’s chair

frequently before the guests entered. The servants were obliged to watch

narrowly, and to defend the provisions with switches; but,

notwithstanding, it would frequently seize something or other, and even

purloined a whole boiled fowl, which it swallowed in an instant. Its

courage is not equal to its voracity, for a child of eight or ten years

old soon puts it to flight with a switch. Everything is swallowed whole,

and so accommodating is its throat that not only an animal as big as a

cat is gulped down, but a shin of beef broken asunder serves it but for

two morsels.”

Another species of Adjutant (_Leptoptilus marabou_) is found in tropical

Africa. It is even uglier than the Indian bird, which has not much

beauty to boast of, but is valuable not only as a scavenger, but from

its furnishing those beautiful plumes called marabout feathers, which

are so much used for ladies’ head-dresses.

[Illustration: THE COMMON HERON. (_Ardea cinerea._)]

THE habits of the Heron are peculiar. Perched on a stone, or the stump

of a tree, by the solitary current of a brook, his neck and long beak

half-buried between his shoulders, he will wait the whole day long,

patient and unmoved, for the passing of a small fish, or the hopping of

a frog; but his appetite is insatiable.

This bird is about four feet long from the tip of the bill to the end of

the claws; to the end of the tail about thirty-eight inches; its

breadth, when the wings are extended, is about five feet. The male is

distinguished by a crest or tuft of black feathers hanging from the

hinder part of his head, which in chivalrous times was of great value,

and held as a peculiar mark of distinction when worn above the plume of

ostrich feathers.

Virgil places the Heron among the birds that are affected by and

foretell the approaching storm:

“When watchful Herons leave their watery stand,

And mounting upward with erected flight,

Gain on the skies, and soar above the sight.”

DRYDEN.

The Heron, though living chiefly in the vicinity of marshes and lakes,

forms its nest on the tops of the loftiest trees. It resembles the rook

in its habits: a great number of Herons living together in what is

called a Heronry, as rooks do in a rookery. The female lays four large

eggs, of a pale green colour; the natural term of this bird’s life is

said to exceed sixty years.

In England, Herons were formerly ranked among the royal game, and

protected as such by the laws; and when falconry was in fashion, the

pursuit of the Heron was a favourite amusement.

“---- ---- Now, like the wearied stag,

That stands at bay, the Hern provokes their rage;

Close by his languid wing in downy plumes

Covers his fatal beak, and cautious hides

The well-dissembled fraud. The falcon darts

Like lightning from above, and in her breast

Receives the latent death: down plumb she falls,

Bounding from earth, and with her trickling gore

Defiles her gaudy plumage. See, alas!

The falconer in despair, his favourite bird

Dead at his feet: as of his dearest friend,

He weeps her fate; he meditates revenge,

He storms, he foams, he gives a loose to rage;

Nor wants he long the means; the Hern fatigued,

Borne down by numbers, yields, and prone on earth

He drops; his cruel foes wheeling around

Insult at will.” SOMERVILLE.

It is extremely dangerous to go near a wounded Heron, and the utmost

caution is necessary in doing so. Though apparently almost dead, he will

yet dart at his enemy’s face, and sometimes inflict a most severe

wound.

[Illustration: THE BITTERN, (_Botaurus stellaris_,)]

IS not quite so large as the common heron; its head is small, narrow,

and compressed at the sides. The crown is black, the throat and sides of

the neck red, with narrow black lines, and the back of a pale red, mixed

with yellow. The claws are long and slender, the inside of the middle

one being serrated, the better to enable it to hold its prey. The bill

is about four inches in length. The most remarkable character in this

bird is the hollow and yet loud rumbling of his voice; his bellowing is

heard at the distance of a mile, at the time of sunset, and it is hardly

possible to conceive at first how such a body of sound, resembling the

lowing of an ox, can be produced by a bird comparatively so small. The

booming noise was formerly believed to be made while the bird plunged

its bill into the mud; hence Thomson:

“---- So that scarce

The Bittern knows his time, with bill ingulf’d

To shake the sounding marsh.”

And Southey also describes the peculiar noise of this bird in his poem

of Thalaba:

“And when at evening, o’er the swampy plain,

The Bittern’s boom came far,

Distinct in darkness seen--

Above the low horizon’s lingering light,

Rose the near ruins of old Babylon.”

Sometimes in the evening the Bittern soars on a sudden in a straight,

or, at other times, in a spiral line, so high in the air, that it ceases

to be perceptible to the eye. When attacked by the buzzard, or other

birds of prey, it defends itself with great courage, and generally beats

off such assailants; neither does it betray any symptoms of fear when

wounded by the sportsman, but eyes him with a keen, undaunted look; and,

when driven to extremity, will attack him with the utmost vigour,

wounding his legs, or aiming at his eyes with its sharp and piercing

bill. It was formerly held in much estimation at the tables of the

great, and is again recovering its credit as a fashionable dish. The

flesh is considered delicious. In autumn it changes its abode, always

commencing its journey at sunset. Its precautions for concealment and

security seem directed with great care and circumspection. It usually

sits in the reeds with its head erect; and thus, from its great length

of neck, sees over their tops, without itself being perceived by the

sportsman. The principal food of these birds, during summer, consists of

fish and frogs; but in autumn they resort to the woods in pursuit of

mice, which they seize with great dexterity, and always swallow whole.

About this season they usually become very fat.

[Illustration: THE SPOONBILL, (_Platalea leucorodia_,)]

IS a large bird; the colour of the whole body is white, and the

resemblance of the bill to a spoon has caused the denomination of the

bird. In some specimens the plumage inclines from white to pink colour.

On the hind part of the head is a beautiful white crest, reclining

backward. The legs and feet are black. The wisdom of Providence is most

conspicuous in the conformation of the bill, which is entirely adapted

to the habits and manner of feeding of these birds: the frogs and

fishes, which constitute the principal food of the Spoonbill, may often

escape the thin and narrow beak of the heron and other birds, but the

mandibles of this bird are so large at the end, that the prey cannot

slip aside. Like rooks and herons, Spoonbills build their nests on the

tops of high trees, and lay three or four eggs, which are white,

sprinkled with pale red, and the size of those of a hen. These birds are

very noisy during the breeding season. The Spoonbill migrates northward

in the summer, and returns to southern climes on the approach of winter;

and is found in all the intermediate low countries between the Faroe

Isles and the Cape of Good Hope.

The _American_ or _Roseate Spoonbill_ (_Platalea Ajaja_) is very

beautiful. Its colour is white, tinged with rose, which deepens in the

wings and tail into the richest carmine. The feet are half-webbed, and

the bird is generally found on the sea-coast, where it wades into the

sea in quest of the small shell-fish of different kinds, on which it

feeds.

[Illustration: THE IBIS. (_Ibis religiosa._)]

THE IBIS was regarded as a sacred bird by the ancient Egyptians, who

used to have these birds walking about in their temples, and embalmed

their bodies after death with as much care as those of their priests and

kings. The cause of this veneration is not clearly ascertained, some

authors supposing it to be due to the services rendered by the bird in

destroying serpents and other noxious creatures; others to a fanciful

resemblance between the bird and one of the moon’s phases; and others,

again, to the arrival of the birds in Egypt at or about the period of

the annual inundation of the Nile. The sacred Ibis has a long, stout,

curved black bill; the head and neck are black and naked, and the

plumage is white, with the tips of the wings black. Another species, the

_Glossy Ibis_ (_Ibis falcinellus_), shared the veneration of the

Egyptians with the Sacred Ibis; it has a more slender bill than the

Sacred Ibis, and its plumage, which is beautifully glossy, is dark green

above and reddish-brown beneath. This bird is common in the south of

Europe, and specimens have been shot in England. The _Scarlet Ibis_

(_Ibis rubra_) is a beautiful species, which adorns the banks of the

great rivers of South America, in company with the Roseate Spoonbill.

[Illustration: THE CURLEW. (_Numenius arquatus._)]

“Soothed by the murmurs of the sea-beat shore,

His dun-grey plumage floating to the gale,

The Curlew blends his melancholy wail

With those hoarse sounds the rushing waters pour.”

MISS WILLIAMS.

“Wild as the scream of the Curlew,

From rock to rock the signal flew.”

SIR WALTER SCOTT.

THE CURLEW is a large bird, weighing about twenty-four ounces; and is

found in winter on the sea-shore on all sides of England. The middle

parts of the feathers of the head, neck, and back are black, the borders

or outsides ash-coloured, with a mixture of red; and the lower part of

the body white. The beak has a regular curve downward, and is soft at

the point. This bird’s flesh may challenge for flavour and delicacy that

of any other water-fowl, and the people of Suffolk say proverbially:

“A Curlew, be she white, be she black,

She carries twelve pence on her back:”

but it must be confessed that the quality and goodness of the flesh of

Curlews depend on their manner of feeding, and the season in which they

are caught. When they dwell on the sea-shore, they acquire a kind of

rankness, which is so strong, that, unless they are basted on the spit

with vinegar, they are not agreeable eating.

[Illustration: THE REDSHANK. (_Totanus calidris._)]

THIS bird has received its name from the colour of its legs, which are

of a crimson red. In size it is between the lapwing and the snipe, and

is sometimes called the _Pool Snipe_. The head and back are of a dusky

ash-colour, spotted with black, the throat party-coloured black and

white, the black being drawn down along the feathers. The breast is

whiter, with fewer spots. The Redshank delights in the fen countries,

and in wet and marshy grounds, where it breeds and rears its young. The

female lays four whitish eggs, with olive-coloured dashes, and marked

with irregular spots of black. Pennant and Latham say, that it flies

round its nest when disturbed, making a noise like a lapwing. It is not

so common on the sea-shore as several others of its kindred. We must

here observe, that this bird has often been mistaken for others. The

fact is, that several birds changing their plumage, and increasing or

diminishing their size according to their age, the season of the year,

and the climate they live in, set all nomenclators at defiance, and

confound all classifications.

[Illustration: THE GODWIT, (_Limosa ægocephala_,)]

IS met with in various parts of Great Britain, and is rather larger than

the woodcock, which it much resembles in appearance. In spring and

summer it resides in the fens and marshes, where it rears its young, and

feeds on small worms and insects; but in winter it seeks the salt

marshes and the sea-shore, where it feeds upon the shell-fish and marine

animals left by the retiring tide. A peculiarity belonging to this bird

is the shape of its bill, which is a little turned upwards. The head,

neck, and back are of a reddish brown; the under part of the body white;

the legs dusky, and sometimes black.

The Godwit is much esteemed by epicures as a great delicacy, and sells

very high. It is caught in nets, to which it is allured by a _stale_ or

stuffed bird, in the same manner and in the same season as the ruffs and

reeves.

[Illustration: THE RUFF AND REEVE. (_Machetes pugnax._)]

IT is curious to see, in our observation of natural objects, how the

creative power of Providence seems to have tried all forms and shapes in

the composition of species. In the cock bird of this species a circle or

collar of long feathers, somewhat resembling a ruff, encompasses the

neck under the head, whence the bird has received the name of Ruff. It

is about a foot in length, with a bill about an inch long. There is a

wonderful and almost infinite variety in the colours of the feathers of

the males; so that in spring there can scarcely be found two exactly

alike; but after moulting they become all alike again.

The males are sometimes called Fighters, on account of their quarrelsome

disposition. It is a bird of passage, and arrives in the fens of

Lincolnshire, and other similar places, in the spring. Mr. Pennant tells

us, that in the course of a single morning more than six dozen have been

caught in one net, and that a fowler has been known to catch between

forty and fifty dozen in a season.

[Illustration]

THE female is called a Reeve, and its flesh is thought a great delicacy

for the table. They are smaller than the cocks, and their feathers

undergo no change. The Ruff and Reeve are taken in nets. They used to be

seen in vast numbers in many parts of England, especially in the Isle of

Ely and the Lincolnshire fens. The improvements in drainage and

cultivation that have been made during the present century have deprived

these birds of their accustomed haunts, and they are no longer common. A

writer of the last century said he had seen the ground so covered with

the nests and eggs of Plovers and Reeves that “one could scarce take a

step without stepping on them.” They are now most common on the shores

of southern Scotland and of Northumberland.

Reeves are fattened for the table by feeding them on boiled rice or

wheat, bread and milk, hemp seed, &c. They are obliged to be kept in a

dark room during the process, as the least gleam of light is the signal

for a furious battle.

[Illustration: THE SNIPE. (_Scolopax gallinago._)]

“The Snipe flies screaming from the marshy verge,

And towers in airy circles o’er the wood;

Still heard at intervals; and oft returns,

And stoops as bent to alight; then wheels aloft

With sudden fear, and screams and stoops again,

Her favourite glade reluctant to forsake.” GISBORNE.

THE SNIPE weighs about four ounces. A pale red line divides the head

longways; the chin under the bill is white; the neck is a mixture of

brown and red; the lower part of the body is almost all white. The back

and wings are of a dusky colour. The flesh is tender, sweet, and in

flavour ranks next to that of the woodcock. Snipes feed especially upon

small red worms, and insects, which they find in muddy and swampy

places, on the banks of rivulets and brooks, and on the clayey margin of

ponds. It is said that Snipes remain with us all the summer, and build

in moors and marshes, laying four or five eggs; but most of them are

migratory, and, when forced by severe frosts to sheltered springs, are

often seen in large flights. Mr. Daniel states that, about thirty years

ago, Snipes were so abundant in the fens of Cambridgeshire, that as many

were taken in Milton fen, by means of a lark-net, in one night, and by a

single man, as could be contained in a small hamper.

[Illustration: THE WOODCOCK, (_Scolopax rusticola_,)]

IS somewhat less than the partridge. The upper side of the body is

party-coloured of red, black, and grey, and very beautiful. From the

bill almost to the middle of the head it is of a reddish ash-colour. The

lower part of the body is grey, with transverse brown lines; under the

tail the colour is somewhat yellowish; the chin is white, with a

tincture of yellow. Woodcocks are migratory birds, coming over into

Britain in autumn, and departing again in the beginning of spring; they

pair before they go, and are seen flying in braces.

The colours of this timid bird render it difficult to discern him among

the withered stalks and leaves of fern, sticks, moss, and grass, which

form the background of the scenery, by which he is sheltered in his

moist and solitary retreats. By habit only is the sportsman enabled to

discover him, and his leading marks are the full eye and glossy silver

white-tipped tail of the bird. The flesh is held in high estimation, and

hence he is eagerly sought after. It is hardly necessary to observe that

in dressing a Woodcock for the spit the entrails are not drawn, but are

allowed to drop upon slices of toasted bread, and are relished as a

delicious kind of sauce. By some late observations, it appears that

several individuals of the species remain with us the whole year. They

frequent especially wet and swampy woods, the thick hedges near

rivulets, and places affording them their allotted food, which consists

of very small insects found in the moist ground.

“The Woodcock’s early visit and abode

Of long continuance, in our temperate clime,

Foretell a liberal harvest.” PHILIPS.

[Illustration: THE KNOT, (_Tringa Canutus_,)]

IS a small bird, whose head and back are of a dusky ash-colour, or dark

grey; while the lower part of the body is pure white, or white varied by

black lines. The sides under the wings are spotted with brown. The bird

weighs about four ounces and a half, and generally makes its appearance

in Lincolnshire in the beginning of winter, and abides there for two or

three months, after which they fly off in flocks. They are caught in

great numbers by nets, into which they are decoyed by carved wooden

figures, painted to represent themselves, and placed within them, much

in the same way as the ruff. When the knot is fat, its flesh is

considered excellent food. It is also fattened for sale, and then

considered equal to the ruff in flavour. The season for taking it is

from August to November, after which the frost compels it to disappear.

This bird is said to have been a favourite dish with Canute the Great;

and Camden observes that its name is derived from his--Knute, or Knout,

as he was called--which, in process of time, has been changed to Knot.

[Illustration: THE GREY PLOVER, (_Squatarola cinerea_,)]

IS about twelve inches long and twenty-four across the wings: the head,

back, and coverts of the wings are black, with tips of a greenish white;

the chin white; the throat spotted with brown or dusky spots; the breast

and thighs white. The flavour of the flesh, when the bird is caught in

the proper season, is delicate and savory; at other times it is hard,

and has a strong and rank taste. This bird is generally found in small

packs, and is not nearly so common as the beautiful Golden Plover. The

male becomes entirely black on the lower surface in the spring, or black

interspersed with patches and spots of white.

The Grey Plover is found in the northern parts of Europe, and, it is

said, breeds in Egypt, Java, and Japan. Like the Ruff, it is an

exceedingly quarrelsome bird, and fights fiercely in the spring. The

young, when hatched, are covered with a thick, soft down, and

immediately begin to follow their parents about and search for food.

[Illustration: THE GOLDEN PLOVER, (_Charadrius pluvialis_,)]

IS about the size of the former. The colour of the whole upper side is

black, thick set with yellowish green spots; the breast brown, with

spots as on the back; the body is white. The male of this species is

also black beneath in the spring. The flesh is sweet and tender, and

therefore esteemed a choice dish in this and other countries.

The Golden Plover feeds principally during the night, and during the day

time may be seen sitting or standing on the ground, asleep. The parent

birds are very careful in guarding their young. When any intruder

approaches their nest, they use all sorts of stratagems to divert his

attention.

The “Plover eggs,” frequently seen at the tables of the opulent and

luxurious, are not those of the Plover, but of the Lapwing.

[Illustration: THE DOTTREL, (_Charadrius morinellus_,)]

IS proverbially accounted a foolish bird, yet why so it is hardly

possible to say. Its length is about ten inches; the bill is not quite

an inch long, and is black. The forehead is mottled with brown and grey;

the top of the head is black; and over each eye there is an arched line

of white. The back and wings are a light brown; the breast is a pale

dull orange; the middle of the body is black, and the rest and the

thighs are of a reddish white. The tail is brown, black towards the end,

and tipped with white. This bird is migratory, and makes its appearance

in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and Derbyshire in April, but soon

leaves those counties and passes on towards the north, breeding in the

mountains of the north of England and Scotland. In April, and sometimes

in September, Dottrels are seen in Wiltshire and Berkshire. They are

generally caught, like other birds, by night; when, dazzled by the light

of a torch, they are at a loss to know where to fly for safety, the

whole place being in darkness, and generally select the very spot which

they should avoid. Many ridiculous stories have been propagated about

the gestures of this bird, and its endeavouring to imitate the actions

of the fowler, and thereby falling into the snare laid for him; but they

ought to be entirely disbelieved.

[Illustration: THE LAPWING, OR PEEWIT.

(_Vanellus cristatus._)]

THIS well-known bird is found in nearly all countries, and is of the

size of a common pigeon. The female lays four or five eggs, of a yellow

colour, varied all over with large black spots and strokes. Lapwings

build their nests on the ground in the middle of some field or heath,

open and exposed to view, laying only some few straws under the eggs: so

soon as the young are hatched, they instantly forsake the nest, running

away with the shell on their back, and following the mother, only

covered with a kind of down, like young ducks. The parents have been

impressed by nature with the most attentive love and care for their

offspring; for if the fowler, or any other enemy, should come near the

nest, the female, panting with fear, lessens her call to make her

enemies believe that she is much further off, and thereby deceives those

that search for her brood; she also sometimes pretends to be wounded,

and utters a faint cry as she limps away, to lead the fowler from her

nest. This bird is really beautiful, although it does not exhibit that

gaudiness of colours of which other species of the feathered tribe can

boast: it weighs about half-a-pound. The head, and the crest which

elegantly adorns it, is black; this crest, composed of unwebbed

feathers, is about four inches in length. The back is of a dark green,

glossed with blue shades; the throat is black; the hinder part of the

neck and the breast are white. The Lapwing, when in search of food,

stamps with his feet upon the ground, and when the earth-worms, alarmed

at the noise, appear, he seizes and devours them. His voice, on the

swampy places along the sea-shores, heard at night, resembles the sound

of _peewit_, or _teewit_, and hence his name in several parts of Great

Britain; he is also called the _Great Plover_ by several ornithologists.

This bird is one of those who attract the fowler’s attention in winter:

“With slaughtering gun th’ unwearied fowler roves,

When frosts have whiten’d all the naked groves;

Where doves in flocks the leafless trees o’ershade,

And lonely woodcocks haunt the watery glade.

He lifts his tube, and levels with his eye;

Straight a short thunder breaks the frozen sky:

Oft, as in airy rings they skim the heath,

The clamorous Lapwings feel the leaden death:

Oft, as the mounting larks their notes prepare,

They fall, and leave their little lives in air.” POPE.

The following anecdote, from Bewick’s “History of Birds,” exhibits the

domestic nature of the Lapwing, as well as the art with which it

conciliates the regard of animals materially differing from itself, and

generally considered as hostile to every species of the feathered tribe.

Two Lapwings were given to a clergyman, who put them into his garden;

one of them soon died, but the other continued to pick up such food as

the place afforded, till winter deprived it of its usual supply.

Necessity soon compelled it to draw nearer to the house, by which it

gradually became familiarised to occasional interruptions from the

family. At length one of the servants, when she had occasion to go into

the back kitchen with a light, observed that the Lapwing always uttered

his cry of “pee-wit,” to obtain admittance. The bird soon grew more

familiar; as the winter advanced, he approached as far as the kitchen,

but with much caution, as that part of the house was generally occupied

by a dog and cat, whose friendship, however, the Lapwing at length

conciliated so entirely, that it was his regular custom to resort to the

fireside as soon as it grew dark, and spend the evening and night with

his two associates, sitting close by them, and partaking of the comforts

of a warm hearth. As soon as spring appeared, he discontinued his visits

to the house, and betook himself to the garden; but, on the approach of

winter, he had recourse to his old shelter and friends, who received him

very cordially. Security was productive of insolence; what was at first

obtained with caution, was afterwards taken without reserve; he

frequently amused himself with washing in the bowl which was set for the

dog to drink out of; and while he was thus employed, he showed marks of

the greatest indignation if either of his companions presumed to

interrupt him. He died in the asylum he had thus chosen, being choked

with something that he had picked up from the floor.

[Illustration: THE WATER-HEN, (_Gallinula chloropus_,)]

IS also called the _Moor-Hen_, or _Moor-Coot_, and the _Gallinule_. The

breast is of a lead-colour, the lower part of the body inclining to

ash-colour, and the back dark olive brown. As she swims or walks, she

often flirts up her tail. Water-hens feed upon aquatic plants and roots,

and upon the small insects which adhere to them; they grow fat about the

latter end of September, and their flesh is then considered nearly equal

to that of the teal; yet it can seldom be entirely deprived of its

fishy taste. They build their nests amongst reeds, long grass, roots,

and stumps by the water-side, breeding twice or thrice in the course of

a summer; the eggs are white, with a tint of green, dashed with brown

spots.

There are very few countries in the world where these birds are not to

be found. They generally prefer the cold mountainous regions in summer,

and lower and warmer situations during winter.

“The fish are leaping, and the Water-hen

Dives up and down. A storm is coming on.”

SCHILLER.--WILLIAM TELL.

[Illustration: THE CORN-CRAKE, OR LAND-RAIL,

(_Ortygometra crex_,)]

IS a migratory bird, appearing in England in April, and departing in

October. At the time of its arrival it is very lean, but becomes

excessively fat before it quits the island. Their favourite haunts are

cold and humid upland districts, corn-fields in the vicinity of water,

and marshy grass-lands. Their cry is a peculiar roll of short notes,

all in the same key and of the same length. The sound, crec, crec, crec,

has been compared to the noise made by drawing the finger along the

teeth of a comb. The legs of the Corn-Crake are unusually long for the

size of the bird, and hang down while it is on the wing. Its flesh is

greatly esteemed for its delicate flavour. This bird is never seen on

the wing in this country, and is extremely difficult to capture; they

cannot be made to rise like partridges and many other birds, nor is it

of much use to invade their cover. They glide through the corn, without

the least perceptible rustle, and with wonderful rapidity, considering

the size of the bird, and if the sportsman follows in the direction of

the sound, it ceases for a while, and then, perhaps, is heard far in the

rear; if he follows it again, it is not long before the sound is heard

setting in its former or some other direction.

It is said by some writers that the Corn-Crake is a sort of natural

ventriloquist, and can make his note appear to proceed from quite

another direction than the spot in which he lies hid. It is probable,

however, that the delusion arises from the astonishing swiftness with

which the bird passes through the covers, where it is usually found. And

as they can never be made to rise, the observer has very seldom the

means of deciding whether the bird was in the place its cry seemed to

proceed from or not.

The nest is made in a hole in the ground, and is lined with dead leaves,

moss, and other soft substances. There are generally ten, twelve, or

fourteen eggs. The peculiar cry by which the bird is recognised is only

uttered during the period of incubation.

Corn-Crakes are occasionally found to have a great fondness for water.

An anecdote is related by Craven, in his “Young Sportsman’s Manual,” of

a young bird of this species, in the possession of a Mr. Jervis, which

had a remarkable partiality for water, in which it would dive and

splash, as if unused to any other element. If the habits of this bird

could be watched more closely, perhaps we should find that this fondness

for water is not uncommon in its wild state.

[Illustration: THE COOT. (_Fulica atra._)]

THIS bird has so many traits in its character, and so many features in

its general appearance like the rails and water-hens, that to place it

after them seems a natural and easy gradation; and accordingly this has

been done by Cuvier, though it was considered by Linnæus to belong to a

group distinct from those birds, and from the waders in general, on

account of its being fin-footed, and its constant attachment to the

waters, which, indeed, it seldom quits. The manner in which Coots build

their nest is very ingenious. They form it of interwoven aquatic weeds,

and place it among the rushes, in such a way that it may occasionally

rise with, but not be washed away by, the stream: and if ever this

accident happens, steady on her nest, the hen does not desert her brood,

but follows with them the destiny of their floating cradle. This bird,

in the figure and shape of its body, resembles the water-hen, and weighs

about twenty-four ounces. The feathers about the head and neck are low,

soft, and thick. The colour about the whole of the body is black, but of

a deeper hue about the head. The sere rises upon the forehead in a

peculiar manner, and appears as if Providence had designed it for a

means of defence. It changes its whitish colour to a pale red or pink in

the breeding season. Coots are very shy, and seldom venture abroad

before dusk. When attacked, they defend themselves with their feet, and

they do this so energetically, that sportsmen say, “Beware of a winged

Coot, or he will scratch you like a cat.”

§ VII. _Palmipedes, or Web-footed Birds._

[Illustration: THE PELICAN, (_Pelicanus onocrotalus_,)]

IS in size about equal to the swan; the colour of the body is white,

inclining to pink; the beak is straight and long, with a sharp hook at

the end; the skin of the lower mandible is so capable of distension,

that it may be dilated to contain fish in large quantities. This pouch

Providence has allotted to the bird, that he may bring to his eyrie

sufficient food for several days, and save himself the trouble of

travelling through the air, and watching and diving so often. The legs

are black, and the four toes palmated. It is a very indolent, inactive,

and inelegant bird, often sitting whole days and nights on rocks or

branches of trees, motionless and in a melancholy posture, till the

resistless stimulus of hunger spurs it on, and forces it to the sea in

search of nourishment; when thus excited to exertion, the Pelican flies

from the spot, and, raising itself thirty or forty feet above the

surface of the water, turns its head with one eye downward, and

continues to fly in that position till it sees a fish near the surface.

It then darts down with astonishing swiftness, seizes its prey with

unerring certainty, and stores it in its pouch. Having done this, it

rises into the air, and repeats the same action till it has procured a

sufficient stock. The Pelican is by no means destitute of natural

affection, either towards its young ones or towards others of its own

species. Clavigero, in his “History of Mexico,” says, that sometimes the

Americans, in order to procure, without trouble, a supply of fish,

cruelly break the wing of a live Pelican, and, after tying the bird to a

tree, conceal themselves near the place. The screams of the miserable

bird attract other Pelicans to the place, which, he assures us, eject a

portion of the provisions from their pouches for their imprisoned

companion. As soon as the men observe this, they rush to the spot, and

after leaving a small quantity for the bird, carry off the remainder.

In America, Pelicans are often rendered domestic, and are so trained,

that at command they go in the morning and return before night with

their pouches distended with prey, part of which they are made to

disgorge, while the rest is left them for their trouble. The bird is

said to live sometimes a hundred years.

Our forefathers attributed extraordinary affection to this bird, more

than is attested by any save heraldic evidence. Thus, in several crests,

it is represented in the act of feeding its young with its own blood,

which it procures by striking its breast with the sharp point of its

beak. And the ancients fully believed that in times of scarcity the

female Pelican resorted to this means of supporting her brood. The nest

of the Pelican is made with sedges and grass, close to the water’s edge;

the female lays two or three white eggs, and the male is said to supply

his partner with food while she is engaged in the work of incubation.

[Illustration: THE CORMORANT, (_Phalacrocorax carbo_,)]

IS a large water-bird, nearly allied to the pelican, possessed with a

very voracious appetite, and consequently of a very rapacious

disposition. It lives upon all sorts of fish; the fresh water and the

briny waves of the sea both paying a large contribution to its craving

stomach. The bill is about five inches in length, and of a dusky colour;

the predominant tints of the body are black beneath, and dark brown

above; on each thigh there is a white patch. The smell of these birds

when alive is excessively rank and disagreeable; and their flesh is so

disgusting that even the Greenlanders, among whom they are very common,

will scarcely eat it. They were formerly tamed in England for the

purpose of catching fish, as falcons and hawks were for chasing the

fleet inhabitants of the air. This custom is still in practice in China.

The birds are taken to the water in a boat, with leather thongs tied

round their necks to prevent their swallowing the fish; at the word of

command they descend into the water, swim about, and dive in pursuit ofprey, and bring whatever they capture to their owner’s boat. Sometimes

two Cormorants will unite their efforts to capture a large fish; and if

any of the birds neglect their business the man will slap on the water

with a bamboo, as a schoolmaster does with his cane on the desk, to

recall the idlers to a sense of their duty. This bird, although of the

aquatic kind, is often seen, like the pelican, perched upon trees.

Milton tells us that Satan

“---- ---- ---- On the tree of life,

The middle tree, and highest there that grew,

Sat like a Cormorant.”

In the year 1793, one of them was observed sitting on the vane of St.

Martin’s steeple, Ludgate Hill, London, and was shot there in the

presence of a great number of people.

[Illustration: THE SHAG, OR CRESTED CORMORANT, (_Phalacrocorax

graculus_,)]

IS of a dark green, with a singular tuft on the front of the head in the

spring. It breeds in rocky caves on the sea-coast.

[Illustration: THE GANNET, OR SOLAN GOOSE. (_Sula bassana._)]

THESE birds are insatiably voracious, but are somewhat particular in

their choice of prey; disdaining, unless in great want, any food worse

than herrings or mackerel. No fewer than one hundred thousand Gannets

are supposed to frequent the rocks of St. Kilda; and of these, including

the young ones, at least twenty thousand are annually killed for food by

the inhabitants. The Gannet is somewhat more than three feet in length,

and weighs about seven pounds. The bill is six inches long, straight

almost to the point, where it is a little bent; its edges are jagged, to

enable it the better to secure its prey; and about an inch from the base

of the upper mandible there is a sharp process pointing forward. The

general colour of the plumage is a dingy white, with a greyish tinge.

Surrounding each eye there is a naked skin of a fine blue colour; from

the corner of the mouth a narrow slip of naked black skin extends to the

hind part of the head; and beneath the chin there is a pouch capable of

containing five or six herrings. The neck is long; the body flat, and

very full of feathers. On the crown of the head, and the back part of

the neck, is a small buff-coloured space. The quill-feathers, and some

other parts of the wings, are black; as are also the legs, except a fine

pea-green stripe in front. The tail is wedge-shaped, and consists of

twelve sharp-pointed feathers.

These birds chiefly resort to those uninhabited islands where man seldom

comes to disturb them. The islands to the north, Ailsa Craig, on the

west coast of Scotland, the Skelig Islands, off the coasts of Kerry in

Ireland, and those that lie in the North Sea off Norway, abound with

them. But it is on the Bass Bock, in the Frith of Forth, that they are

seen in the greatest abundance. “There is a small island,” says the

celebrated Harvey, “called the Bass, not more than a mile in

circumference; the surface is almost wholly covered during the months of

May and June with the nests of the Solan Geese, their eggs, and their

young. It is scarcely possible to walk without treading on them: the

flocks of birds upon the wing are so numerous as to darken the air like

a cloud; and their noise is such, that one cannot without difficulty be

heard by the person next to him. When one looks down upon the sea from

the precipice, its whole surface seems covered with infinite numbers of

birds of different kinds, swimming and pursuing their prey. If, in

sailing round the island, one surveys its hanging cliffs, in every crag

or fissure of the broken rocks may be seen innumerable birds, of various

sorts and sizes, more than the stars of heaven when viewed in a serene

night. If they are viewed at a distance, either receding or in their

approach to the island, they seem like one vast swarm of bees.”

[Illustration: THE SWAN. (_Cygnus olor._)]

“Fair is the Swan, whose majesty prevailing

O’er breezeless water, on Locarno’s lake,

Bears him on, while, proudly sailing,

He leaves behind a moon-illumined wake:

Behold! the mantling spirit of reserve

Fashions his neck into a goodly curve--

An arch thrown back between luxuriant wings

Of whitest garniture, like fir-tree boughs.

To which, on some unruffled morning, clings

A flaky weight of winter’s purest snows!

Behold! as with a gushing impulse heaves

That snowy prow, and softly cleaves

The mirror of the crystal flood;

Vanish inverted hill, and shadowy wood,

And pendent rocks, where’er in gliding state

Winds the mute creature, without visible mate

Or rival, save the queen of night,

Showering down a silver light

From heaven upon her chosen favourite!”

WORDSWORTH.

THE two best known species of this elegantly-formed and majestic bird

are commonly known as the Wild and the Tame, or the Whooping and Mute,

Swans. They may easily be recognised by the peculiarities of the bill:

the Tame Swan has the bill orange-coloured, with its base black, and

surmounted by a black knob; the Wild Swan has no knob, and it is the tip

instead of the base of the bill that is black.

[Illustration: THE WILD SWAN, WHOOPING SWAN, OR WHISTLING SWAN, (_Cygnus

ferus_,)]

IS also a fine bird, with beautifully white plumage; unlike the Tame

Swan, which is nearly mute, it has a loud and rather melodious voice,

which it utters frequently, as it flies along at a great height in the

air, during its migrations. It is found in England in the winter, but

resides all the year in the north of Scotland. Its favourite place for

breeding is in the extreme north. The Tame Swan is the largest of our

web-footed water-fowl, sometimes weighing about thirty pounds: the whole

body of the full-grown Swan is covered with a beautiful pure white

plumage, but the young ones are grey; under the feathers is a thick,

soft down, which is of very great use, and often employed as an

ornament. The elegance of form which this bird displays, when, with his

arched neck and half-displayed wings, he sails along the crystal surface

of a tranquil stream, which reflects, as he passes, the snowy beauty of

his dress, is worthy of admiration. Thomson describes the Swan in the

following beautiful manner:

“---- ---- ---- The stately sailing Swan

Gives out his snowy plumage to the gale,

And arching proud his neck, with oary feet,

Bears forward fierce, and guards his osier isle,

Protective of his young.”

Swans have for ages been protected on the river Thames as royal

property; and it continues at this day to be accounted felony to steal

their eggs: by this means their increase is secured, and they prove a

delightful ornament to that noble river. Latham says the estimation in

which they were held, in the reign of Edward IV., was such, that only

those who possessed a freehold of the clear yearly value of five marks

were permitted even to keep any. In those times, hardly a piece of water

was left unoccupied by these birds, as they gratified the palate as well

as the eye of their lordly owners of that period: but the fashion of

those days has passed away, and Swans are by no means as common now as

they were formerly, being by most people accounted a coarse kind of

food, and consequently held in little estimation: but the Cygnets (so

the young Swans are called) are still fattened for the table, and are

sold very high, commonly for a guinea each, and sometimes more; hence it

may be presumed they are better food than is generally imagined.

At Abbotsbury there was generally a noble Swannery, the property of the

Earl of Ilchester, where six or seven hundred birds were kept, but the

collection has of late been much diminished. The Swannery belonged

anciently to the abbot, and, previously to the dissolution of

monasteries, the Swans frequently amounted to double the above number.

From the whiteness of this bird, the expression of a “Black Swan” was

used in ancient times as equivalent to a nonentity; but a species nearly

entirely black has been lately discovered in Australia. This bird is as

large as the white Swan, and its bill is of a rich scarlet. The whole

plumage (except the primaries and secondaries, which are white) is of

the most intense black.

Swans are very long lived, sometimes attaining the great age of a

century and a half.

[Illustration: THE WILD GOOSE. (_Anser ferus._)]

“The farmer’s Goose, who in the stubble

Has fed without restraint or trouble,

Grown fat with corn, and sitting still,

Can scarce get o’er the barn-door sill;

And hardly waddles forth to cool

Her body in the neighbouring pool;

Nor loudly cackles at the door,

For cackling shows the Goose is poor.”

SWIFT.

THE GOOSE is very different in outward appearance from the last-named

bird. Stupidity in her look, uncouthness in her walk, and heaviness in

her flight are her principal characteristics. But why should we dwell

upon these defects? they are not such in the great scale of the

creation. Her flesh feeds many, and is not disdained even by the great;

her feathers keep us warm; and even the very pen I hold in my hand was

plucked from her wing.

These birds are kept in vast quantities in the fens of Lincolnshire;

several persons there having as many as a thousand breeders. They breed

in general only once a year, but if well kept they sometimes hatch twice

in a season. During their sitting, the birds have spaces allotted to

each, in rows of wicker pens placed one above another; and the

Goose-herd, who has the care of them, drives the whole flock to water

twice a day, and bringing them back to their habitations, places every

bird (without missing one) in its own nest. It is scarcely credible what

numbers of Geese are driven from the distant counties to London for

sale, frequently two or three thousand in a drove; and, in the year

1783, one drove passed through Chelmsford, in its way from Suffolk to

London, that contained more than nine thousand. However simple in

appearance or awkward in gesture the Goose may be, it is not without

many marks of sentiment and understanding. The courage with which it

protects its offspring and defends itself against ravenous birds, and

certain instances of attachment, and even of gratitude, which have been

observed in it, render our general contempt of the Goose ill-founded.

The Goose was held in great veneration among the Romans, as having by

her watchfulness saved the Capitol from the attack of the Gauls. Virgil

says, in the seventh book of the Æneid,

“The silver goose before the shining gate

There flew, and by her cackle saved the state.”

DRYDEN.

The colour of this useful bird is generally white; though we often find

them of a mixture of white, grey, black, and sometimes yellow. The feet

which are palmated, are orange-coloured, and the beak is serrated. The

male of the Goose is called the Gander; and the young ones Goslings.

Geese are very long-lived, one is known to have lived above seventy

years.

The Wild Goose is the original of the tame one, and differs much in

colour from her, the general tint of its feathers being a greyish black.

Wild Geese fly by night in large flocks to more southern countries; and

their clang is heard from the regions of the clouds, although the birds

are out of sight.

[Illustration: THE DUCK. (_Anas boschas._)]

THE COMMON DUCK is of two kinds, the wild and the tame, the latter being

but the same species altered by domestication; the difference between

them is very trifling, save that the colour of the Mallard, or male wild

Duck, is constantly the same in all the individuals, whereas the Drakes,

or tame ones, are varied in their plumage. The females do not share with

the males in beauty of plumage: the admirable scarf of glossy green and

blue, which surrounds the neck of Drakes and Mallards, being an

exclusive prerogative of the male sex. There is also a curious and

invariable peculiarity belonging to the males, which consists of a few

curled feathers rising upon the rump.

[Illustration]

Wild Ducks are caught by decoys in the fen countries, and in such

prodigious numbers, that in only ten decoys in the neighbourhood of

Wainfleet, as many as thirty-one thousand two hundred have been caught

in one season. They do not always build their nests close to the water,

but often at a considerable distance from it; in which case the female

will take the young ones in her beak, or between her legs, to the water.

They have sometimes been known to lay their eggs in a high tree, in a

deserted magpie’s or crow’s nest; and an instance has been recorded of

one being found at Etchingham, in Sussex, sitting upon nine eggs in an

oak, at the height of twenty-five feet from the ground: the eggs were

supported by some small twigs laid cross-ways.

The tame Ducks, reared about mills and rivers, or wherever there is a

sufficient quantity of water for them to indulge their sports and to

search for food, become a branch of trade, which proves very profitable

to their owners.

[Illustration: THE EIDER DUCK, (_Sornateria mollissima_,)]

WHICH is found about the coasts of the north of England and Scotland,

becomes more numerous as we go further north, and is most abundant on

Iceland and the Arctic shores, both of Europe and America. This bird is

particularly valuable for the great quantity of down which it furnishes,

as this is so light and elastic that beds and quilts made from it are

preferable to any others. The birds line their nests with this beautiful

material plucked from their own bodies, and it is chiefly by plundering

the nests that the down is obtained. Each nest will furnish about half a

pound of down in the season, and it is worth about four dollars a pound.

[Illustration: THE WIDGEON, (_Mareca Penelope_,)]

WEIGHS about twenty-two ounces, and feeds upon grass and roots growing

at the bottom of lakes, rivers, and ponds. The plumage of this bird is

much variegated, and its flesh esteemed a great delicacy, though not so

highly praised as that of the teal. The bill of the Widgeon is black;

the head and upper part of the neck of a bright bay; the back and sides

under the wing waved with black and white; the breast purple; the lower

part of the body white, and the legs are dusky. The young of both sexes

are grey, and continue in this plain garb till the month of February;

after which a change takes place, and the plumage of the male begins to

assume its rich colourings, in which, it is said, he continues till the

end of July; and then again the feathers become dark and grey, so that

he is hardly to be distinguished from the female.

Widgeons commonly fly in small flocks during the night, and may be known

from other birds by their whistling note, while they are on the wing.

They quit the desert morasses of the north on the approach of winter,

and as they advance towards the ends of their destined southern journey,

they spread themselves along the shores, and over the marshes and lakes,

in various parts of the continent, as well as those of the British

isles; and it is said that some of the flocks advance as far south as

Egypt.

The Widgeon is easily domesticated in places where there is plenty of

water, and is much admired for its beauty, sprightly look, and busy,

frolicsome manners; yet it is generally asserted that they will not

breed in confinement, or at least that the female will not make a nest

and perform the act of incubation; but that she will lay eggs, which are

generally dropped into the water.

[Illustration: THE TEAL, (_Querquedula crecca_,)]

IS the least of the duck tribe, weighing only twelve ounces. The lower

part of the body is of a dingy white, inclining to a grey tint. The back

and sides under the wings are curiously varied with lines of white and

black; the wings are all over brown, and the tail of the same colour.

This bird is common in England during the winter months, and it is still

uncertain whether it does not breed here as it does in France. Dr.

Heysham says it is known to breed in the neighbourhood of Carlisle. The

female makes her nest of reeds interwoven with grass; and, as it is

reported, places it among the rushes, in order that it may rise and fall

with the water. Their eggs are of the size of those of a pigeon, six or

seven in number, and of a dull white colour, marked with small brownish

spots; but it appears that they sometimes lay ten or twelve eggs, for

Buffon remarks that that number of young are seen in clusters on the

pools, feeding on cresses, chervil, and some other weeds, as well as

upon seeds and small insects that swarm in the water. The flesh of the

Teal is a great delicacy in the winter season, and has less of the fishy

flavour than any of the wild duck kind. It is known to breed and remain

throughout the year in various temperate climates of the world, and is

in the summer met with as far northward as Iceland.

THE COMMON GULL. (_Laruscanus._)

THE GULLS, of which there are a great many different kinds, are very

common birds around our coasts and at the mouths of rivers; they have

long wings, and fly with great rapidity and buoyancy. Their plumage is

thick, and they float very lightly on the surface of the water, but do

not dive. The Gulls are very voracious, and not only devour great

quantities of fishes, shell-fish, and other marine animals, but even

condescend to feed upon the dead bodies of animals which they find

floating on the water or cast up on the shore. Some of the smaller kinds

come inland, and catch insects on the wing, in the same way as the

Swallows.

The Common Gull is rather a large species, being more than eighteen

inches in length when full grown. Its plumage is pearly grey above and

white beneath; the largest wing feathers are black, with white tips and

white spots near the tip; and the bill and feet are greenish grey. This

bird breeds in the salt marshes or on the ledges of cliffs. The female

lays two or three eggs, which are olive brown, with dark brown and black

spots.

It is a very pretty sight to watch from the top of a lofty cliff the

multitudes of these birds that often haunt our coasts; gliding with

beautiful ease and swiftness through the air, skimming the surface of

the water in pursuit of their prey, or reposing upon its bosom. Even

their rather harsh and discordant cry is in harmony with the wild and

imposing heights on which they love to dwell. This, however, does not

protect them from the frequenters of our seaside towns, with whom

seagull shooting is a favourite amusement; an amusement the more to be

reprehended as the flesh of the bird is quite useless.

Gulls are frequently caught alive, and, after having their wings clipped

to prevent their escape, are kept to satisfy their voracious appetite on

snails, slugs, and other garden pests.

[Illustration: THE STORMY PETREL, OR MOTHER CARY’S CHICKEN.

(_Thalassidroma pelagica._)]

“O’er the deep! o’er the deep!

Where the whale, and the shark, and the sword-fish sleep,

Outflying the blast and the driving rain,

The petrel telleth her tale in vain;

For the mariner curseth the warning bird,

Who bringeth him news of the storm unheard!

Oh! thus does the prophet, of good or ill,

Meet hate from creatures he serveth still;

Yet he ne’er falters:--So, Petrel! spring

Once more o’er the waves on thy stormy wing.” PROCTER.

THE STORMY PETREL is not larger than a swallow; and its colour is

entirely black, except the coverts of the tail, the tail itself, and the

vent-feathers, which are white: its legs are slender. Ranging over the

expanse of the ocean, and frequently at a vast distance from the land,

this bird is able to brave the utmost fury of the storms. Even in the

most tempestuous weather it is frequently observed by the mariners

skimming with almost incredible velocity along the billows, and

sometimes over their summits. They often follow vessels in great flocks,

to pick up anything that is thrown overboard; but their appearance is

looked upon by the sailors as the sure presage of stormy weather in the

course of a few hours. It seems to seek protection from the fury of the

wind in the wake of the vessels; and it is probable that for the same

reason it often flies between two surges. The nest of this bird is found

in the Orkney Islands, under loose stones, in the months of June and

July. It lives chiefly on small fish; and although mute by day, it is

very clamorous by night. The young of this bird are fed with an oily

matter or chyle, which is ejected from the stomachs of the parents.

Mudie, in his very entertaining work on British Birds, says that they

are called Petrels, or “little Petrels,” because they move along the

surface as if they were literally walking on the water. He also informs

us that they are at times very full of oil, and that the Faroese, taking

advantage of this circumstance, convert them into lamps, by fixing them

in an upright position and drawing a wick through their bodies, which

they light at the mouth.

[Illustration: THE FULMAR, (_Procellaria glacialis_,)]

IS a larger kind of Petrel, which is found not uncommonly on the British

coasts, and is exceeding abundant in the Arctic seas. Here it is a

regular attendant upon the whale-fishers when they are engaged in

cutting up a whale. Any fragments of blubber that happen to fall into

the water are immediately snapped by these greedy birds, which clamour

and squabble over the feast with so little regard to the vicinity of the

sailors, that they may be knocked on the head with a boat-hook. They are

in high estimation in the countries they inhabit, on account of the

large amount of oil they contain. It is only rarely they are seen in

England, nor do they regularly frequent any part of Great Britain,

except a few of the northernmost islands of Scotland. Like the other

Petrels, they feed their young with a sort of oil, which they have the

power of exuding at will.

[Illustration: THE ALBATROSS, (_Diomedea exulans_,)]

ALSO resembles the diminutive Petrels in some respects; but instead of

being a pigmy it is a giant among birds. Its wings often measure as much

as fifteen feet in extent and are of corresponding power, as they have

to support the Albatross by the day together above the stormy waves of

the great Southern Ocean. Indeed, so enormous is their strength and

endurance, that they have been known to follow ships for whole days

together, without once resting upon the water. From time to time the

gigantic bird plunges down into the sea to capture the fishes with which

he satisfies his hunger; and it is said that where Albatrosses are

numerous they will even attack sailors who may happen to fall overboard.

From their abundance at the Cape of Good Hope they are often called by

mariners Cape sheep.

Albatrosses generally weigh from twenty to thirty pounds. The plumage is

white, except some narrow bars upon the back, and some of the long wing

feathers, which are black, and of the head, which is a reddish grey. The

beak is long and powerful, and curved at the end, and would be a most

terrible weapon if the owner were of a pugnacious disposition. It is,

however, quite inoffensive, and is even sometimes attacked by much

smaller birds, when it invariably takes to flight, and the immense power

of its wings generally enables it to distance its pursuers. The

Albatross, like most sea birds, has a most insatiable appetite, and

devours immense quantities, not only of fish, but of other

sea-animals,--such as molluscs. They are so greedy that they are caught

by a line baited with a piece of flesh, which the ever-hungry bird

swallows at a gulp, paying with his life for the dear repast. They are

taken by the natives of the countries they frequent, not for their

flesh, which is tough and insipid, but for the sake of their entrails,

which are very large and elastic, and are used for a number of useful

purposes.

[Illustration: THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER.

(_Colymbus glacialis._)]

THE GREAT NORTHERN DIVER is found most abundantly in the Arctic seas,

but a considerable number of them dwell on the shores of Scotland. It

has a rather long, strong, and sharply pointed bill; its back and wings

are black, ornamented with numerous white spots; its lower surface is

greyish-white; and its head and neck are black, with a couple of white

collars across the front of the neck. The Great Northern Diver is a

large bird, measuring nearly three feet in length; its wings are small

in proportion to its size, but yet the bird is able to fly very rapidly.

It is, however, in the water that it is most active; it swims and dives

with the most remarkable ease, and even under water goes as fast as a

four-oared boat. Its food consists of fishes, and it breeds amongst the

herbage of the sea-shore, the female laying two or three eggs in a neat

nest made of grass.

[Illustration: THE PUFFIN, (_Fratercula arctica_,)]

IS another short-winged water bird, but, unlike the Northern Diver, it

visits us in the summer, and breeds on our shores. It is about a foot

long, and has the back and wings black, the cheeks and all the lower

parts of the body, except a band round the neck, white, and the feet

orange. Its bill is very curious, and has obtained for it the names of

Sea Parrot and Coulterneb in some places. This organ is large and

strong, but flattened at the sides; it is of a bluish colour, with three

grooves and four ridges of an orange colour. The Puffin flies swiftly,

and swims and dives almost as well as the Great Diver; it breeds

sometimes in crannies amongst the rocks, and sometimes in a hole which

it digs in the turf or in a rabbit-warren.

[Illustration: THE GREAT AUK, (_Alca impennis_,)]

WHICH is sometimes called the Northern Penguin, is a large bird,

furnished with very small wings, which, although formed of regular

feathers, like those of other birds, are far too weak to raise their

owner into the air. They are, however, of use in another way. When the

Auk dives, which it frequently does, they serve as fins, and, with its

powerful webbed feet, enable it to swim underneath the water with even

greater rapidity than on the surface. This bird was formerly seen

occasionally on the northern coasts of Britain, and became more

plentiful towards the Arctic seas; but no specimens have now been met

with for many years, and there is reason to believe that the bird is

quite extinct on our coasts. In the water the Great Auk, like the Diver,

is wonderfully active, swimming on the surface or beneath the waves with

equal ease. Mr. Bullock, when in the Orkneys, pursued a male bird for

several hours in a six-oared boat without being able to kill him.

The Great Auk is generally about three feet long, and changes its

plumage in summer. The breeding-season is in June and July, when the

female lays one large egg, of a yellowish colour, marked with black

spots.

[Illustration: THE PENGUIN, (_Speniscus demersus_,)]

OF which numerous species abound on the shores and islands of the great

Southern Ocean, is remarkable for its almost incredible agility in the

water; it swims and dives like a fish, and in fact is described as

coming to the surface for air, and descending again so suddenly as to

give rise to the impression that it is a fish jumping in sport. It is

found in vast numbers in hiding places, where the females are seen

sitting upright and holding their single egg between their legs.

BOOK III.

INHABITANTS OF THE WATER.

§ I. _Cetacea, or Sea Mammalia._

[Illustration: THE COMMON, OR GREENLAND WHALE.

(_Balæna mysticetus._)]

“Nature’s strange work, vast Whales of different form,

Toss up the troubled flood, and are themselves a storm;

Uncouth the sight, when they in dreadful play,

Discharge their nostrils, and refund a sea;

Or angry lash the foam with hideous sound,

And scatter all the watery dust around;

Fearless, the fierce destructive monsters roll,

Ingulf the fish, and drive the flying shoal;

In deepest seas these living isles appear,

And deepest seas can scarce their pressure bear;

Their bulk would more than fill the shelvy strait,

And fathom’d depths would yield beneath their weight.”

THE WHALE is not properly a fish; since, though it lives in the sea,

and has fins and a tail instead of legs and feet, it resembles in most

other respects a seal, and differs from fishes, properly so called, in

many important points. Indeed, it is always included in the class

Mammalia, by zoologists, as it brings forth its young alive, and

nourishes them with its milk; and hence a conceited person, who said he

knew every fish from the shrimp to the Whale, was justly laughed at, as

neither the Whale nor the shrimp are included in the fishes by

zoologists.

The general form of the Whale’s body is that of a fish; but the tail is

placed horizontally instead of vertically, and the skeleton of the fins

exactly resembles that of a hand affixed to a contracted arm, though it

is covered with so thick a skin that no trace of the formation of the

bones can be discovered externally. There are only two fins, which are

very small, and close to the head. The Whale, however, differs from

fishes most materially in its having warm blood; and in its lungs, which

are exactly the same as those of quadrupeds. Hence, though the Whale can

remain a long time under water without breathing, it is compelled to

come to the surface whenever it does breathe, and for this purpose it is

furnished with two large nostrils, or blow-holes as they are called. The

blow-holes are most beautifully and curiously contrived to close when

the animal sinks under water; so that not a drop of water can enter the

lungs, however great the pressure may be. The Whale is also provided

with a very thick skin, containing an immense quantity of liquid oil,

called the blubber, which is so easily detached from the flesh, that

when a Whale is killed, the blubber, which is sometimes two feet thick,

is taken off by passing a common spade between it and the body. This

thick oily skin is a non-conductor of heat, and is thus admirably

adapted for preventing the warm blood of the Whale from being chilled by

the cold of the water. The true fishes, which are unprovided with such a

covering, have cold blood, and are therefore not susceptible of chills.

The common Whale has no teeth in either jaw, but its mouth is furnished

with a kind of fringe of numerous long horny laminæ, which are what we

call whalebone, and which form a kind of strainer, admitting only the

small fish on which the Whale feeds. This Whalebone is one of the

valuable products of the whale, though the oil is most important.

“As when enclosing harpooners assail,

In hyperborean seas, the slumbering Whale;

Soon as the javelins pierce the scaly side,

He groans, he darts impetuous down the tide;

And, rack’d all o’er with lacerating pain,

He flies remote beneath the flood in vain.”

FALCONER.

Whales are taken in great numbers about Spitzbergen, Greenland, and

other northern countries by the English, the Dutch, &c. Considerable

fleets of ships are sent out every spring for this purpose. When they

begin their fishery, each ship is fastened or moored with nose-hooks to

the ice. Two boats, each manned with six men, are ordered by the

commodore to look out for the coming of the fish for two hours, when

they are relieved by two more, and so by turns; the two boats lie at

some small distance from the ship, each separated from the other,

fastened to the ice with their boat-hooks, ready to let go in an instant

at the first sight of the Whale. Here the dexterity of the Whale hunters

is to be admired; for as soon as the animal shows itself, every man is

at his oar, and they all rush on the Whale with prodigious swiftness; at

the same time taking care to come behind its head, that it may not see

the boat, which sometimes so alarms it, that it plunges down again

before they have time to strike it. But the greatest care is to be taken

of the tail, with which it many times does very great damage, both to

the boats and seamen. The harpooner, who is placed at the head or bow of

the boat, seeing the back of the Whale, and making the onset, thrusts

the harpoon with all his might into its body by the help of a staff

fixed to the iron for this purpose, and leaves it in, a line being

fastened to it of about two inches in circumference, and one hundred and

thirty-six fathoms long. Every boat is furnished with seven of these

lines, from the motion of which, when let run, they observe the course

of the Whale.

As soon as the Whale is struck, the third man in the boat holds up his

oar, with something on the top, as a signal to the ship; at the sight of

which the man who is appointed to watch gives the alarm to those that

are asleep, who instantly let fall their other four boats, which hang on

the tackles, two at each side, ready to let go at a minute’s warning,

all furnished with six men each, harpoons, lances, lines, &c. Two or

three of these boats row to the place where the Whale may be expected to

come up again; the others to assist the boat that first struck it with

line; as the Whale will sometimes run out three more boats’ lines, all

fastened to each other, for when the lines of the first boat are almost

run out, they throw the end to the second to be fastened to theirs, and

the second boat does the same to the third, and so on. In this manner

line is supplied to such an extent that a large Whale has been known to

carry off three miles of it.

A Whale, when he is first struck, will run out above a hundred fathoms

of line, before the harpooner is able to take a turn round the boat’s

stern; and with such swiftness that a man stands ready to throw water on

the line to quench it, in case it should take fire, which it frequently

does. There was, many years ago, a boat to be seen in the South Sea Dock

at Deptford, the head of which was sawed off by the swiftness of the

line running out. The harpoon would be of but little avail in the

destruction of this animal; but part of the rowers, either at the first

onset, or when, in order to fetch his breath, he rises to the surface

and discovers himself to view, throwing aside their oars, and taking up

their very sharp lances, thrust them into his body, till they see him

spurt the blood through the blow-holes, the sight of which is a sign of

the creature’s being mortally wounded. The fishermen, upon the killing

of a Whale, are each entitled to some small reward. After the Whale is

killed, they cut all the lines that were fastened to it, and then cut

off the tail; upon this it instantly turns on its back; and in this

manner they tow it to the ship, where they fasten ropes to keep it from

sinking; and, when it is cold, begin to cut off the blubber.

The blubber of a Whale is frequently found to be eighteen or twenty

inches thick; which yields fifty or sixty puncheons of oil, each

puncheon containing seventy-four gallons; and the upper jaw yields about

six hundred pieces of whalebone, most of which are about twelve feet

long, and six or eight inches broad; the whole produce of a Whale being

worth one thousand pounds, more or less, according to the size of the

animal. Whilst the men are at work on the back of the Whale they have

spurs on their boots, with two prongs, which come down on each side of

their feet, lest they should slip, the back of the Whale being very

slippery.

When the Whale feeds, it swims with considerable velocity below the

surface of the sea, with its jaws widely extended. A stream of water

consequently enters its mouth, carrying along with it immense quantities

of cuttle-fish, sea-blubber, shrimps, and other small marine animals.

The water escapes at the sides; but the food is entangled, and, as it

were, sifted by the fringe of whalebone within the mouth; this kind of

strainer is rendered necessary by the very small gullet, which in a

Whale of sixty feet long, does not exceed four inches in width. The

sailors say that a penny-loaf would choke a Whale.

The Whale bellows fearfully when wounded or in distress. Its young is

called a cub.

There is also an extensive Whale fishery in the Southern Ocean, carried

on chiefly by the Americans. The Whale found in those seas is distinct

from the Greenland Whale, and is described by naturalists under the name

of _Balæna Australis_.

[Illustration]

THE RORQUAL, OR FIN-BACKED WHALE,

(_Balænoptera boops_,)

IS a very large Whale, specimens sometimes measuring as much as one

hundred feet in length. It is distinguished by its smaller head, and by

the existence of a sort of fin on the lower part of its back. The

Rorqual is found in the northern seas, and specimens are sometimes seen

off our coasts. It is not of much value, as it furnishes far less

blubber than the common Whale, and the baleen or whalebone is so short

as to be useless.

[Illustration: THE SPERMACETI WHALE, OR CACHALOT.

(_Physeter macrocephalus._)]

THIS animal has teeth in the lower jaw only; and no whalebone. The

substance called spermaceti is extracted from its immense head, which is

nearly half the size of the entire animal; and the throat is so large

that it could swallow a shark.

The quantity of oil produced from the Spermaceti Whale is not so

considerable as that obtained from the common or Greenland Whale, but in

quality it is far preferable, as it yields a bright flame, without

exhaling any nauseous smell. The substance known by the name of

ambergris is also obtained from the body of this animal. It is generally

found in the stomach, but sometimes in the intestines; and, in a

commercial point of view, is a highly valuable production. The

spermaceti is in a fluid state while the animal is living, and as soon

as it is dead a hole is made in the head, and the liquid taken out with

buckets. It becomes solid as it cools, and it is afterwards made into

candles, &c.

When we reflect that the same Power whose will has formed the immense

bulk of this marine monster has also given animation, senses, and

passions to the smallest of the microscopic animalcules, how lowered

must be the pride of man, who, standing in the middle, and nearly at

equal distance from both, is yet unable to comprehend the mechanism

which puts them in motion, and much less that intelligence and power

which has given them life, and has assigned to them their respective

stations in the universe! Let us then exclaim, with astonishment and

gratitude, with the Psalmist: “O Lord, how inscrutable are thy ways, how

magnificent thy works!”

[Illustration: THE DOLPHIN. (_Delphinus delphis._)]

THIS animal, like the whale, is not considered a fish, though it lives

in the water, as it has warm blood and suckles its young, which are born

alive. It has also lungs instead of gills, and is therefore obliged to

raise its head above the surface of the water to breathe.

The Dolphin is from six to ten feet in length. The body is roundish,

gradually diminishing towards the tail; the nose is long and pointed,

the skin smooth, the back black or dusky blue, becoming white below. It

has numerous small teeth in each jaw; a dorsal and two pectoral fins,

and a tail in the shape of a crescent. The beak-like snout has probably

made the French call the Dolphin the sea-goose.

Several curious stories have been related of this animal, most of which

are fabulous. The anecdote of Arion, the musician, who, being thrown

overboard by pirates, was indebted for his life to one of these animals,

is well known, and acquired great credit among ancient poets, as it was

said to be by his music that Arion charmed the Dolphin. There are

several other fables mentioned by ancient authors to prove the

philanthropy of the Dolphin. Since the province of _Dauphiné_ in France

has been united to the crown, the heir-apparent has been called

“Dauphin,” and quarters a Dolphin on his shield. Falconer, in his

beautiful poem, “The Shipwreck,” describes the death of the Dolphin in

the following elegant manner:

“---- Beneath the lofty vessel’s stern

A shoal of sporting dolphins they discern,

Beaming from burnished scales refulgent rays,

Till all the glowing ocean seems to blaze.

In curling wreaths they wanton on the tide;

Now bound aloft, now downward swiftly glide.

Awhile beneath the waves their tracks remain,

And burn in silver streams along the liquid plain;

Soon to the sport of death the crew repair,

Dart the long lance, or spread the bated snare.

One in redoubling mazes wheels along,

And glides, unhappy, near the triple prong.

Rodmond, unerring, o’er his head suspends

The barbed steel, and every turn attends:

Unerring aim’d, the missile weapon flew,

And plunging, struck the fated victim through.

The upturning points his pond’rous bulk sustain;

On deck he struggles with convulsive pain;

But while his heart the fatal javelin thrills,

And fleeting life escapes in sanguine rills,

What radiant changes strike the astonish’d sight,

What glowing hues of mingled shade and light!

No equal beauties gild the lucid west

With parting beams all o’er profusely dressed; No lovelier colours paint the vernal dawn,

When orient dews impearl the enamell’d lawn;

Than from his sides in bright suffusion flow,

That now with gold empyreal seem to glow;

Now in pellucid sapphires meet the view,

And emulate the soft celestial hue;

Now beam a flaming crimson to the eye,

And now assume the purple’s deeper dye:

But here description clouds each shining ray;

What terms of art can Nature’s power display?”

Unfortunately for poetry, the beautiful colours of the dying Dolphin

exist entirely in the fancy of the poet; as the Dolphin in a dying state

displays no tints but black and white, and it is believed that the

notion so prevalent among the ancients of the change of colour in this

animal was derived from a true fish, the Dorado, which does exhibit this

phenomenon.

[Illustration: THE WHITE WHALE. (_Beluga leucas._)]

THE WHITE WHALE, or Beluga, is included among the dolphins. The body is

white, tinged with yellow, or rose-colour, and its proportions are more

agreeable than those of most of the cetacea. It measures from twelve to

eighteen feet in length. White Whales are gregarious, assembling in

flocks or herds, and playing about with rapid and graceful movements.

The female has two young ones at a time, over which she watches with the

greatest apparent affection. They follow all her movements, and do not

quit her till they are nearly full grown. This Whale is generally

confined to the northern latitudes, though one was taken in the Firth of

Forth in 1815. The oil is of excellent quality, and the flesh eats like

beef. According to some writers the flesh, when pickled with vinegar and

salt, is as well tasted as pork; and thus the body, which is generally

thrown away when the sailors have cut off the blubber, might be used by

them as food. The internal membranes are used by the Greenlanders for

windows, and the sinews for thread, and the fins and tail, when properly

prepared, are said by some of the old writers to be good eating.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: THE PORPOISE. (_Phocæna vulgaris._)]

THE PORPOISE is one of the cetacea, and nearly allied to the dolphin,

but it has not the beaked snout of that animal. The length of the

Porpoise, from the tip of the snout to the end of the tail, is from four

to eight feet, and its girth about two feet and a half. The figure of

the whole body is conical; the colour of the back is deep blue,

inclining to shining black; the sides are grey, becoming white below.

The tail is crescent-shaped. There are only three fins, one on the back,

and one on each shoulder. The eyes are very small. When the flesh is cut

up, it looks very much like pork; but although it was once considered a

sumptuous article of food, and is said to have been occasionally

introduced at the tables of the old English nobility, it certainly has a

disagreeable flavour. Porpoises live on small fish, and appear generally

in large shoals, particularly in the mackerel and herring seasons, at

which time they do very great damage to fishermen, by breaking and

destroying the nets to get at their prey. Their motion in the water is a

kind of circular leap; they dive deep, but soon again rise up in order

to breathe. They are so eager in the pursuit of their prey, that they

sometimes ascend large rivers, and have even been seen above

Westminster Bridge. They have no gills, and blow out the water with a

loud noise, which in calm weather may be heard at a great distance. They

are seen nearly in all seas, and are very common upon the British

coasts, where they sport with great activity, chiefly at the approach of

a squall.

The Grampus (_Phocæna Orca_) is a species of Porpoise, and a decided and

inveterate enemy to whales; which they attack in great flocks, fastening

round them like so many bull-dogs, making them roar with pain, and

frequently killing and devouring them. They are usually from twenty to

twenty-five feet in length, and in general form and colour resemble the

common Porpoise; but the lower jaw is considerably wider than the upper,

and the body is somewhat broader and more deep in proportion. The

back-fin sometimes measures six feet in length. In one of the poems of

Waller, a story (founded on fact) is recorded of the parental affection

of these animals. A Grampus and her cub had got into an arm of the sea,

where, by the desertion of the tide, they were enclosed on every side.

The men on shore saw their situation, and ran down upon them with such

weapons as they could at the moment collect. The poor animals were soon

wounded in several places, so that all the immediately surrounding water

was stained with their blood. They made many efforts to escape; and the

old one, by superior strength, forced itself over the shallow into the

ocean. But though in safety herself she would not leave her young one in

the hands of assassins. She therefore again rushed in; and seemed

resolved, since she could not prevent, at least to share the fate of her

offspring. The story concludes with poetical justice; for the tide

coming in, conveyed them both off in safety; and it is probable, from

the great thickness of their skins, that their wounds had not been very

deep.

[Illustration: THE SEA-UNICORN, OR NARWHAL,

(_Monodon monoceros_,)]

A MARINE animal, differing from all the cetacea, to which it belongs, in

not having any teeth, properly so called, and in being armed with a horn

of seven or eight feet in length, which projects from the head. This

horn is white, spirally twisted throughout its whole length, and

tapering to a point: it is harder, whiter, and more valuable than the

ivory of the elephant, and was formerly in high repute for its supposed

medical properties: small ones may be sometimes seen set with an elegant

head as a walking-stick, and large specimens have been employed as

bed-posts. The animal itself is from twenty to forty feet in length, and

is occasionally found with two horns; indeed, there is always the germ

of a second horn both in the male and female, though it is rarely

developed in the former, and never in the latter, from which we may

conjecture that the females trust entirely to the males for their

defence, as we know is the case with several of the mammalia. When there

is only one horn, it is always on the left side of the head; and when

there are two, the horn on the left side is always larger than the

other. This animal chiefly inhabits the arctic seas, and its food is

said to consist of the smaller kinds of flat fish and other marine

animals; its horn is useful in breaking away the ice when it wants to

come up to breathe. The blubber supplies a small quantity of very fine

oil, and the Greenlanders are very partial to the flesh.

[Illustration: THE MANATEE, (_Manatus Australis_,)]

ALSO called the Sea Cow, is a great deal smaller than the other cetacea

just described, and differs from them in its diet, which consists

entirely of marine plants. It haunts the coasts and estuaries of South

America, and measures nine or ten feet in length; its head is

comparatively small, its jaws are furnished only with grinding-teeth, of

which it has thirty-two, its skin is provided with a good many scattered

bristles, and its flippers, or fins, with four small nails. This animal

not unfrequently raises its head and shoulders out of the water, when it

is said to have some resemblance to a human being, and it is probable

that the distant view of a nearly related species, the _Lamantin_, which

inhabits the shores of Africa, may have given the ancients their first

notion of the Mermaid. The Manatee is captured with harpoons, and its

flesh is said to be very good eating. When salted and dried it will keep

for a year. It also furnishes an excellent oil, and its skin is used for

making harness and whips. The Dugong (_Halicore Dugong_) is a very

similar animal, inhabiting the eastern seas. It grows to a length of

eighteen or twenty feet.

§ II. _Cartilaginous Fishes._

[Illustration: THE STURGEON, (_Acipenser sturio_,)]

SOMETIMES grows to the length of eight or ten feet, and has been found

to weigh five hundred pounds. It has a long, slender, pointed nose,

small eyes, and a small mouth destitute of teeth, placed beneath and

unsupported by the maxillæ; so that when the animal is dead, the mouth

remains always open. The body is covered with five rows of large bony

tubercles, and the under side is flat; it has one dorsal fin, two

pectoral, two ventral, and one anal. The upper part of the body is of a

muddy olive colour, and the under part silvery. The tail is bifurcated,

the upper part being much longer than the under. Sturgeons subsist

principally on insects and marine plants, which they find at the bottom

of the water, where they mostly resort.

The Sturgeon annually ascends our rivers in the summer, particularly

those of the Eden and Esk; and when caught, as it sometimes is, in the

salmon-nets, it scarcely makes any resistance, but is drawn out of the

water apparently lifeless. One of the largest Sturgeons ever caught in

our rivers was taken in the Esk a good many years ago: it weighed four

hundred and sixty pounds. This fish is found in most of the rivers in

Europe; it is also common in those of North America, and especially in

the lakes and rivers of Northern Asia.

The flesh of the Sturgeon is delicious; and it was so much valued in the

time of the Emperor Severus, that it was brought to table by servants

with coronets on their heads, and preceded by music. In London, every

Sturgeon that is caught in the Thames is presented by the Lord Mayor to

the Sovereign. The roe, when preserved with salt and oil, is called

_caviar_, and is a favourite dish with many persons; the best is made in

Russia. The flesh is also pickled or salted, and sent all over Europe.

So prolific is this fish, that Catesby says the females frequently

contain a bushel of spawn each; and Leeuwenhoek found in the roe of one

of them no fewer than one hundred and fifty thousand million eggs!

[Illustration: THE SHARK.

(_Squalus carcharias_, or _Carcharias vulgaris_.)]

“Increasing still the terrors of the storms,

His jaws horrific arm’d with threefold fate,

Here dwells the direful Shark.”

THE SHARK differs from the whale in not being one of the mammalia. It is

cold-blooded, and does not suckle its young. It has no lungs, and its

mode of breathing is like that of other fishes, except that its gills

are fixed, and the water escapes by five apertures on each side. The

body of the Shark is elongated, and tapers gradually from the head to

the tail, or is very slightly dilated in the middle. Its muzzle or nose

is rounded, and projects very much over the mouth, the nostrils being

situated on the under side. The male shark is smaller than the female,

and differs from it in appearance, in possessing two elongated

appendages, one of which is attached to the hinder edge of each of the

ventral fins. The purpose which these appendages are intended to serve

is not known. Some of the Sharks produce their young alive, and others

lay eggs contained in horny cases of an oblong shape, with long tendrils

at each of the four corners. After the young Sharks are hatched, these

curious cases are often washed on shore, and are called mermaids’

purses.

The bones of the Shark are like gristle, and very different from those

of most other fishes. Hence all the fishes with bones similar to those

of the Shark are placed in a separate order, and called cartilaginous

fishes.

The White Shark is sometimes found weighing nearly two thousand pounds.

The throat is often large enough to swallow a man; and a human body has

sometimes been found entire in the stomach of this tremendous animal. He

is furnished with six rows of sharp triangular teeth, which amount in

all to a hundred and forty-four, serrated on their edges, and capable of

being erected or depressed at pleasure, owing to a curious muscular

mechanism in the palate and jaws of the Shark. The whole body and fins

are of a light ash-colour; the skin rough, and employed to smooth

cabinet work, or to cover small boxes or cases. His eyes are large and

staring, and he possesses great muscular strength in his tail and fins.

Whenever he spies, from the deepest recesses of the sea, a man swimming

or diving, he darts from the place, up to his prey, and if unable to

take in the whole, or snatch away a limb, he follows for a long time the

boat or vessel in which the more nimble swimmer has found a safe and

opportune retreat: but seldom does he let any one escape his jaws, and

get off entire. Sir Brook Watson was swimming at a little distance from

a ship, when he saw a Shark making towards him. Struck with terror at

its approach, he cried out for assistance. A rope was instantly thrown;

but even while the men were in the act of drawing him up the ship’s

side, the monster darted after him, and, at a single snap, tore off his

leg.

We are told that, in the reign of Queen Anne, some of the men of an

English merchant-ship, which had arrived at Barbadoes, were one day

bathing in the sea, when a large Shark appeared, and was rushing upon

them. A person from the ship called out to warn them of their danger; on

which they all immediately swam to the vessel, and arrived in perfect

safety, except one poor man, who was cut in two by the Shark, almost

within reach of the oars. A comrade and intimate friend of the

unfortunate victim, when he observed the severed trunk of his companion,

was seized with a degree of horror that words cannot describe. The

insatiate Shark was seen traversing the bloody surface in search of the

remainder of his prey, when the brave youth plunged into the water,

determining either to make the Shark disgorge, or to be buried himself

in the same grave. He held in his hand a long and sharp-pointed knife,

and the rapacious animal pushed furiously towards him; he had turned on

his side, and had opened his enormous jaws, in order to seize him, when

the youth, diving dexterously under, seized him with his left hand,

somewhere about the upper fins, and stabbed him several times in the

belly. The Shark, enraged with pain, and streaming with blood, plunged

in all directions in order to disengage himself from his enemy. The

crews of the surrounding vessels saw that the combat was decided; but

they were ignorant which was slain, until the Shark, weakened by loss of

blood, made towards the shore, and along with him his conqueror; who,

flushed with victory, pushed his foe with redoubled ardour, and, by the

aid of an ebbing tide, dragged him on shore. Here he ripped up the

bowels of the animal, obtained the severed remainder of his friend’s

body, and buried it with the trunk in the same grave. This story,

however incredible it may appear, is related in the History of

Barbadoes, on the most satisfactory authority.

Had nature allowed this fish to seize his prey with as much facility as

many others, the Shark tribe would have soon depopulated the ocean, and

reigned alone in the vast regions of the sea, till hunger would have

forced them to attack and ultimately destroy each other; but the upper

jaw of this devouring animal, is so constructed as to offer, by its

prominency, an impediment to the Shark’s easily seizing his prey; and

consequently when on the point of catching hold of anything, he is

obliged to turn on one side, which troublesome evolution often gives the

object of his pursuit time to escape. The flesh of this fish is of a

disagreeable taste, and cannot be eaten with any kind of relish, except

the part near the tail.

Twenty different species of this family are known, and the number of

different families of the Shark tribe is very great.

THE GREENLAND SHARK, (_Selachus maximus_,)

IS another very voracious species; and one extremely difficult to kill.

It is the great enemy of the whale, and devours the bodies of those left

by the fishers. Its teeth are very small, pointed, and numerous. The

snout is short. It is sometimes known as the Basking Shark.

[Illustration: THE DOG-FISHES]

ARE so excessively voracious, that they are altogether fearless of

mankind. They follow vessels with great eagerness, seizing with avidity

everything eatable that is thrown overboard; and have sometimes been

known to throw themselves on fishermen, and on persons bathing in the

sea. As, however, they are much smaller and weaker than most of the

other Sharks, they do not always attack their enemies by open force, but

generally have recourse to stratagem. They, consequently, conceal

themselves in the mud, and lie in ambush, like the ray or skate-fish,

(also one of the cartilaginous fishes,) until they have an opportunity

of successfully attacking their prey. On the coasts of Scarborough,

where haddocks, cod, and Dog-fish are in great abundance, the fishermen

universally believe that the Dog-fish make a line or semicircle to

encompass a shoal of haddocks and cod, confining them within certain

limits near the shore, and eating them as occasion requires: they are

therefore considered very destructive to this fishery. The flesh of the

Dog-fish is hard and disagreeable; its skin, when dried, is made into

the well-known _shagreen_, and from the liver a considerable quantity of

oil may be extracted. Shagreen is also made from the skin of other

cartilaginous fishes.

THE HAMMER-HEADED SHARK, (_Zygæna malleus_,)

IS a very curious kind, having a transverse head like that of a hammer,

with an eye at each extremity; and the Fox-Shark, or Thresher

(_Carcharias vulpes_), is remarkable for the enormous length of the

upper lobe of its tail, with which it is able to strike with tremendous

force. This fish is one of the great enemies of the whale.

[Illustration: THE SKATE, (_Raia batis_,)]

IS a species of the Ray, which was long disregarded in this country as a

coarse, bad-tasted food, but which now appears upon our best tables. It

is still, however, disregarded in Scotland and the north of England,

where its flesh is principally used as a bait for other fish. On some

parts of the continent, where these fish are caught in great abundance,

they are dried for sale. The best season for Skate is the spring of the

year. The body is broad and flat, of a brown colour on the back, and

white on the lower side: the head is not distinct from the body, so that

this fish and all belonging to this genus are apparently acephalous, or

without a head. The peculiar form of this fish is owing to the large

size of the pectoral fins, which extend from the head to the base of the

tail, and are very wide in the middle, and so, combined with the

sharpness of the snout, give the fish the shape known as rhomboidal. Dr.

Monro has remarked, that in the gills of a large Skate there are upwards

of one hundred and forty-four thousand subdivisions, or folds; and that

the whole extent of this membrane, whose surface is nearly equal to that

of the whole human body, may be seen by a microscope to be covered with

a network of vessels, that are not only extremely minute, but

exquisitely beautiful. The tail of the Skate is long, and generally

prickly. The mouth is, as it were, paved with teeth, which are flat, and

nearly square in shape. In the full-grown male the centre teeth are

pointed, at least in some species. The eggs deposited by the female

Skate are very similar to those laid by the shark, being in the shape of

a square bag, with two horns at each end as here represented.

[Illustration]

In this horny case the embryo is contained, and grows till it has

acquired strength enough to burst through its prison. The colour of the

bag is maroon, and the substance like thin brown parchment or leather.

The female begins to drop these singly in the month of May, and

continues to do so for several months, to the number of two or three

hundred. In some parts of Cumberland they are called, by the common

people, Skatebarrows, on account of their resemblance to the barrows

which are carried by two men, and used for the conveyance of goods, &c.

The Skate sometimes attains a very large size. Willoughby speaks of one

so huge that it would have served one hundred and twenty men for dinner.

Some naturalists are of opinion that these fishes are the largest

inhabitants of the deep, and that only the smallest of them come near

the surface of the water, the biggest remaining flat at the bottom of

the sea, where an unfathomable deep secures them against the wiles of

man.

Nine species of the Skate or Ray are found on the British coasts.

[Illustration: THE THORNBACK, (_Raia clavata_,)]

RESEMBLES the Skate in its general appearance; the principal difference

consists in the latter having sharp teeth, and a single row of spines

upon the tail, while the former has blunt teeth, and several rows of

spines both upon the back and tail. A Thornback was caught near the

island of St. Kitt’s, in the year 1634, which measured twelve feet in

length, and nearly ten in width. It is sometimes eaten in England, but

as its flesh is inferior to that of the Skate, it is generally sold at a

low price. The young ones, however, which have the denomination of

_Maids_, are delicate eating.

[Illustration: THE TORPEDO, OR ELECTRIC RAY.

(_Torpedo vulgaris._)]

THIS curious fish is capable of giving a violent shock, like that

produced by the electrical machine, to the person who handles it. The

body is nearly circular, and thicker than any other of the Ray kind, and

is sometimes so large as to weigh between seventy and eighty pounds. The

skin is smooth, of a dusky brown colour, and white underneath. The

ventral fins form on each side, at the end of the body, nearly a quarter

of a circle. The tail is short, and the two dorsal fins are near its

origin. The mouth is small, and as in the other species, there are on

each side below it five breathing apertures.

The shock imparted by the touch of the Cramp-fish, as the Torpedo is

vulgarly called, is often attended with a sudden sickness at the

stomach, a general tremor, a kind of convulsion, and sometimes a total

suspension of the faculties of the mind. Such power of self-defence has

Providence allowed this lumpish and inactive fish. Whenever an enemy

approaches, the Torpedo emits from its body that benumbing shock, which

incapacitates the other instantly, and it thereby gets time to escape.

Nor is it merely a means of defence, but an advantage in other respects,

for the Torpedo thus benumbs its prey, and easily seizes upon it. The

animals thus killed are also supposed to become more easy of digestion.

[Illustration: THE MONK-FISH, OR ANGEL-FISH,

(_Squatina Angelus_,)]

IS very voracious, and feeds upon all kinds of flat fish, as soles,

flounders, &c. It is often caught on the coasts of Great Britain, and of

such a size as to weigh sometimes a hundred pounds. This fish seems to

be of a middle nature between the rays and sharks, and is called by

Pliny the Squatina; a name which seems to bring this species near that

of the skate. Its head is large; the mouth has five rows of teeth, which

are capable of being raised or depressed at pleasure. The back is of a

pale ash-colour; the belly white and smooth. The shores of Cornwall are

often frequented by this fish, but its flesh does not deserve to be

praised, being hard, and of a very indifferent flavour.

It is supposed to have acquired the name of Angel-fish, from its

extended pectoral fins bearing some similarity to wings, certainly, as

Mr. Yarrell has remarked, not for its beauty; and of monk-fish, from its

rounded head, appearing as if enveloped in a monk’s hood. The skin is

rather rough, and is used for polishing, and other works in the arts.

Mr. Donovan says that the Turks of the present day make shagreen of it.

[Illustration: THE SAW-FISH. (_Tristis antiquorum._)]

THIS fish is found in the European and Atlantic seas. Its body is

flattened anteriorly with four or five branchial openings below on each

side; two spiracles behind the eyes; no anal fin; the head prolonged

into a depressed bony beak, with strong pointed spines on each side; the

lips are rough and sharp like a file, supplying the place of teeth. With

its formidable weapon, which resembles a toothed saw, this fish attacks

the largest whales, and inflicts very severe wounds. The colour of its

body is of a greyish brown above, and paler below; its length about

fifteen feet, the saw being about a third of the whole.

[Illustration: THE LAMPREY. (_Petromyzon marinus._)]

THE LAMPREY belongs to the last family of cartilaginous fishes, and is

one of the lowest in the scale of vertebrated animals. It grows to the

length of about three feet, although the British species, with which we

are best acquainted, seldom exceeds twelve inches. To avoid the constant

muscular exertions necessary to prevent their being carried away by the

current, they attach themselves by the mouth to stones or rocks, and

hence are called _Petromyzon_, Stone-suckers. The Lamprey, although no

longer maintaining its ancient repute, is still considered a delicacy;

those taken in the Severn being preferred to all others. Henry the

First, as is well known, died of a surfeit of them; and in the reign of

Henry the Fourth their importation was encouraged by immunities. The

Roman epicures prized this fish so highly, that they bestowed the utmost

care, and expended enormous sums in rearing them. Pliny tells us that

Lucullus formed a fish-pond of such extent, that the fish it contained

were, at his death, sold for four million sesterces. These polished

barbarians sometimes threw a slave into the ponds where they kept their

_Murœnæ_, or Lampreys, and considered that by this means they

fattened the fish and gave them a superior flavour.

[Illustration: THE HAG-FISH, (_Myxine glutinosa_,)]

A CARTILAGINOUS FISH, which in its general appearance bears a near

resemblance to the Lamprey. Its colour is dusky bluish above, and

reddish towards the head and tail; its length from four to six inches.

The Hag-fish is remarkable for its total want of eyes; its mouth is of

an oblong form, with two beards or cirri on each side, and on the upper

part four. On the top of the head is a small spout-hole, furnished with

a valve, by which it can be closed at pleasure. A double row of pores

extends beneath the body, from one extremity to the other, which on

pressure exude a quantity of viscid fluid, which, when attacked by large

fish, the Hag throws out, so as to cloud the surrounding element in such

a manner as to render itself invisible to its assailants. “The habits of

this fish are highly singular: it will enter the bodies of such fishes

as it happens to find on the fishermen’s hooks, and which consequently

have lost the power of escaping its attack; and gnawing its way through

the skin, will devour all the internal parts, leaving only the bones and

the skin. If put into a large vessel of sea-water, it is said in a very

short space to render the whole water so glutinous that it may easily be

drawn out in the form of threads.”

§ III. _Bony Fishes._

[Illustration: THE PILOT-FISH. (_Naucrates ductor._)]

THE body of this fish is long, the head compressed, rounding off in

front, without scales as far as the operculum. The mouth is small, the

jaws of equal length, and furnished with small teeth; the palate has a

curved row of similar teeth in front, and the tongue has teeth all

along. The colour varies in several species. The Pilot-fish will

frequently attend a ship during its course at sea for weeks, or even

months together; and there are many curious stories told respecting its

habits, in occasionally directing a shark where to find a good meal, and

also in warning him how to avoid a dangerous bait. Whether this be true

or not will be difficult to determine; but it is certain that this

little fish is generally found in company with the shark, and picks up

the smaller pieces of food which his predatory master drops, either by

accident or design.

[Illustration: THE REMORA, OR SUCKING-FISH,

(_Echeneis Remora_,)]

RESEMBLES the herring; its head is thick, naked, depressed, and marked

on the upper side with a curious sucker composed of numerous transverse,

movable, serrated plates. The fins are seven in number; the under jaw is

longer than the upper, and both furnished with teeth. This fish is

provided by nature with a strong adhesive power, and, by means of the

grooved space on its head, can attach itself to any animal or body

whatever. We might suppose that a small fish with seven acting fins,

armed like a galley with oars, would have a great power of motion in the

water, but, for some reason unknown to us, Providence has contrived for

him an easier way of travelling, by enabling him to fix himself to the

hull of a ship, and even to the body of a larger animal than himself, as

the whale, the shark, and others. Our forefathers believed that, small

as he is, this fish had the power of arresting the progress of a ship in

its fastest sailing by adhering to the bottom.

“The Sucking-fish beneath, with secret chains,

Clung to the keel, the swiftest ship detains.

The seamen run confused, no labour spared,

Let fly the sheets, and hoist the topmast yard.

The master bids them give her all the sails,

To court the winds and catch the coming gales.

But, though the canvas bellies with the blast,

And boisterous winds bend down the cracking mast,

The bark stands firmly rooted in the sea,

And will, unmoved, nor winds nor waves obey:

Still, as when calms have flatted all the plain,

And infant waves scarce wrinkle on the main.

No ship in harbour moor’d so careless rides,

When ruffling waters tell the flowing tides;

Appall’d, the sailors stare, through strange surprise,

Believe they dream, and rub their waking eyes.”

[Illustration: THE SEA-WOLF, OR SEA-BAT,

(_Anarrhichas lupus_,)]

IS often caught in the European seas; and is about five or six feet in

length, and has a larger and flatter head than the shark. The back,

sides, and fins are of a bluish colour; the body is nearly white; the

whole skin is smooth and slippery, without any appearance of scales. It

is of a very voracious nature, and has a double row of sharp and round

teeth, both in the upper and lower jaw. Its appetite, however, does not

lead it to destroy fishes similar in shape to itself, as it is supposed

to feed chiefly on crustaceous and molluscous animals, whose shells it

breaks easily with its teeth. It is sometimes found in the northern seas

exceeding twelve feet in length, and owes its name to its natural

fierceness and voracity. The fishermen dread its bite, and endeavour as

speedily as possible to strike out its fore-teeth, which are so strong,

that they are capable of leaving an impression on an anchor. The fins

nearest the head spread themselves, when the animal is swimming, in the

shape of two large fans, and their motion contributes considerably to

accelerate its natural swiftness. The flesh is good, and as it bears

salting well it is an important article of food to the Icelanders, in

whose seas this fish occurs in great abundance and of large size.

[Illustration: THE HORNED SILURE,

(_Silurus_, or _Ageneiosus militaris_,)]

GROWS to a large size, weighing sometimes three hundred pounds, and

measuring eight to ten feet in length, and two in breadth. It has a

broad, flat, thin head; and the horns, which are on each side of the

upper lip, are armed with short crooked spines, like teeth. A remarkable

peculiarity in this fish is the dorsal fin, which is close to the head,

and is long, stiff, dentated like the horns, and is, no doubt, an

instrument of defence. In colour it resembles the eel, and has no

scales; only one small fin on the back, and a forked tail; its flesh is

esteemed next to that of the eel, and has a similar flavour. This fish

is a great depredator, and makes considerable havoc among the smaller

inhabitants of the rivers and lakes which it inhabits. It is a native of

the fresh waters of Asia. The Danube, and several other rivers of

Germany, and the lakes of Switzerland and Bavaria contain numerous

specimens of Silurus.

[Illustration: THE FATHER LASHER. (_Cottus scorpius._)]

THE whimsical denomination of Father Lasher, given to this fish, cannot

be easily accounted for; perhaps it may be ascribable to the quick and

repeated lashings of its tail, when the fish is caught and thrown upon

the sand. The length is about eight or nine inches, and it is usually

found under stones, on the rocky coasts of our island. In Greenland

these fish are so numerous, that the inhabitants depend largely upon

them for their food. When made into soup, they are nutritive and

wholesome. The head is large, and armed with spines, by which this fish

combats every enemy that attacks it, swelling out its cheeks and

gill-covers to an unusual size. Its colour is a dull brown, mottled with

white, and sometimes mixed with red; the fins and tail are transparent,

and the lower part of the body a shining white.

[Illustration: THE SWORD-FISH, (_Xiphias gladius_,)]

WHICH belongs to the mackerel family, has received its name from its

long snout resembling the blade of a sword. It sometimes weighs above

one hundred pounds, and is fifteen or even twenty feet in length. The

body is of a conical form, black on the back, white under the body; the

mouth large, with no teeth; the tail is remarkably forked. The

Sword-fish is often taken off the coast of Italy, in the Bay of Naples,

and about Sicily. They are struck at by the fishermen, and their flesh

is considered as good as that of the sturgeon by the Sicilians, who seem

to be particularly fond of it. Other European seas are not destitute of

this curious animal.

The Sword-fish and the whale are said never to meet without coming to

battle; and the former has the reputation of being always the aggressor.

Sometimes two Sword-fishes join against one whale; in which case the

combat is by no means equal. The whale uses his tail in his defence; he

dives deeply into the water, head foremost, and makes such a blow with

his tail, that, should it take effect, it kills the Sword-fish at a

single stroke; but the latter is in general sufficiently adroit to avoid

it, and immediately rushes at the whale, and buries its weapon in his

side. When the whale discovers the Sword-fish darting upon him, he dives

to the bottom, but is closely pursued by his antagonist, who compels him

again to rise to the surface. The battle then begins afresh, and lasts

until the Sword-fish loses sight of the whale, who is at length

compelled to swim off, which his superior agility enables him to do. In

piercing the whale’s body with the tremendous weapon at his snout, the

Sword-fish seldom inflicts a dangerous wound, not being able to

penetrate beyond the blubber. This animal can drive its sword with such

force into the keel of a ship, as to bury it wholly in the timber. A

part of the bottom of a vessel, with the sword imbedded in it, is to be

seen in the British Museum.

[Illustration: THE FLYING SCORPION.]

HOW admirable is Nature! how extensive her power and how various the

forms with which she has surrounded the united elements of animated

matter! From the uncouth shape of the wallowing whale, of the unwieldy

hippopotamus, or ponderous elephant, to the light and elegant form of

the painted moth or fluttering humming-bird, she seems to have exhausted

all ideas, all conceptions, and not to have left a single figure

untried. The fish represented above is one of those, in the outlines and

decorations of which appear the discordant qualities of frightfulness

and beauty. Armed _cap-à-pie_, surrounded with spines and thorns

bristling on his back, and fins like an armed phalanx of lance-bearers,

and decorated on the body with yellow ribands, interwoven with white

fillets, and on the purple fins of his breast with the milky dots of the

pintado, the Sea Scorpion presents a very extraordinary contrast. His

eyes, like those of which poets sang when celebrating the Nereids and

Naiads, consist of black pupils, surrounded with a silver iris, radiated

with alternate divisions of blue and black. The rays of the dorsal fin

are spiny, spotted brown and yellow, conjoined below by a dark brown

membrane, and separate above; the ventral fins are violet with white

drops, and the tail and anal fins are a sort of tesselated work of blue,

black, and white, united with the greatest symmetry, and not unlike

those ancient fragments of Roman pavements often found in this island.

This variegated fish is found in the rivers of Amboyna and Japan; its

flesh is white, firm, and well tasting, like our perch, but it does not

grow so large; it is of a very voracious disposition, feeding on the

young of other fish, some of which, two inches in length, have been

found in its craw. The skin has both the appearance and smoothness of

parchment. To the tremendous armour of its back, fins, and tail, this

fish owes the name of Scorpion.

[Illustration: THE LUMP-SUCKER, OR SEA-OWL.

(_Cyclopterus lumpus._)]

THIS odd-shaped fish derives its name chiefly from the clumsiness of its

form; it is also called the Cock Paddle. Its colour, when in the highest

perfection, combines various shades of blue, purple, and rich orange;

the abdomen is red; it has no scales, but on all sides sharp black

tubercles, in shape like warts; on each side are three rows of sharp

prickles, and on the back two distinct fins. The great resort of this

species is in the Northern seas, about the coast of Greenland; it is

also caught in many parts of the British seas during the spring season,

when it approaches the shore for the purpose of depositing its spawn;

and in the month of March it may be seen at the stalls of the London

markets. This unseemly fish is usually about a foot in length, and ten

or more inches in breadth, and sometimes weighs seven pounds. The flesh

is but indifferent.

The Lump-sucker is very remarkable for the manner in which its ventral

fins are arranged. They are united by a membrane so as to form a kind of

oval and concave disc, by means of which it is enabled to adhere with

great force to any substance to which it fastens itself. Pennant says,

that, on throwing an individual of this species into a pail of water, it

adhered so firmly to the bottom that, on taking the fish by the tail,

the whole pail was lifted up, though it held some gallons.

In the Northern seas great numbers of the different species of

Lump-suckers are devoured by the seals, who swallow all but the skins,

quantities of which thus emptied are seen floating about in the spring

months; it is said that the spots where the seals carry on their

depredations can be readily distinguished by the smoothness of the

water.

[Illustration: THE OCELLATED SUCKER,

(_Lepadogaster cornubicus_,)]

ANOTHER Malacopterygious fish, a relative of the Lump-sucker, and

chiefly remarkable for the singular appendage observable on its head. It

possesses similar tenacity of suction. The utility of this faculty to

animals inhabiting the rocky shores and turbulent seas of Greenland is

sufficiently obvious.

[Illustration: THE ANGLER. (_Lophius piscatorius._)]

THIS extraordinary fish is occasionally met with on our coasts, and is

commonly known by the names of the Fishing Frog, Toad Fish, and Sea

Devil. In shape it is the most uncouth and unsightly of the piscatory

tribe, resembling the frog in its tadpole state. It grows to a large

size. A specimen taken in the sea, near Scarborough, was between four

and five feet in length, the head considerably larger than the body,

round at the circumference, flat above; the mouth is of a prodigious

size, being a yard in width, and armed with sharp teeth. It lives, as it

were, in ambush at the bottom of the sea, and by means of its fins stirs

up the mud and sand, so as to conceal itself from other fishes on whom

it preys. The manner in which it procures its prey is very

extraordinary, the peculiarity of its construction forbidding the

possibility of rapid movement. Two long tough filaments are placed above

the nose, each of them furnished with a thin appendage, closely

resembling a fishing-line when baited and flung out. The back is

provided with three others, united by a web, and forming the first

dorsal fin. Pliny notices these remarkable appendages, and explains

their use. “The Fishing Frog,” says he, “puts forth the slender horns

situated beneath his eyes, enticing by that means the little fish to

play around till they come within his reach, when he springs upon them.”

But it is not only the lesser inhabitants of the water that the Angler

ensnares! Codfish of good size are often found in his stomach, and he

occasionally seizes upon fishes as they are being drawn up by the line.

Mr. Yarrell mentions an instance of an Angler attacking a conger-eel

under these circumstances: the eel wriggled through the branchial

aperture of his captor, and both were drawn up together.

Cicero also notices this extraordinary creature, in his Treatise on the

Nature of the Gods. He observed its wonderful construction when musing

on the shores of Sicily.

[Illustration: THE FOUR-HORNED TRUNK FISH.

(_Ostracion quadricornis._)]

THESE singular fishes are distinguished from most others by the bony

covering which envelopes them. The head and body are covered with plates

of bone, forming an inflexible cuirass, and leaving exposed only the

tail, fins, mouth, and a portion of the gill opening. They have no

ventral fins, and the dorsal and anal are placed far back. Their liver

is large, and abounds with oil. The Trunk-fish is a native of the Indian

and American seas. Some of the species are considered excellent eating.

[Illustration: THE GLOBE FISH, (_Tetraodon hispidus_,)]

IS an oblong fish, inhabiting the seas of Carolina, and endowed with an

extraordinary power of swelling its under surface into a large globe.

This sudden enlargement not only alarms the enemies of the Tetrodon, but

prevents them from making good their hold, by presenting to their grasp

little more than an inflated bag. It is also covered with spines, which

merely adhere to the skin, and are capable of being erected on any

sudden emergency; thus giving to an innocent and defenceless creature a

most formidable appearance.

When inflated, they roll over on their backs, floating in this position,

without any power of directing their course. Some species are reckoned

poisonous. One is electrical, (_Tetraodon lineatus_,) and is found in

the Nile; when left on shore by the inundations, it always inflates its

body, becomes dried in this condition, and is then picked up by the

children, and used as a ball.

[Illustration: THE SUN FISH, (_Orthagoriscus mola_,)]

APPEARS like the fore part of the body of a large fish, which has been

amputated in the middle. The mouth is small, with two broad teeth only

in each jaw. Its nearly circular form, and the silvery whiteness of the

sides, together with their brilliant phosphorescence during the night,

have obtained for it very generally the appellations of sun or moon

fish. While swimming, it turns round like a wheel, and sometimes floats

with its head above water, when it appears like a dying fish. It grows

to a large size; sometimes being four or five feet in length, and

weighing from three to five hundred pounds. The back of this curious

marine animal is of a rich blue colour. It frequents the coasts of both

the ancient and new continent, and has been found on the shores of

England.

[Illustration: THE CAVALLO-MARINO, OR SEA-HORSE.

(_Hippocampus brevirostris._)]

THIS is a small fish, of a curious shape. The length is from six to ten,

and sometimes twelve, inches; the head bears some resemblance to that of

a horse, whence originates its name. A series of longitudinal and

transverse ridges run from the head to the tail, which is spirally

curved and prehensile.

The following account of two specimens taken alive at Guernsey, in June,

1835, by F. C. Lukis, Esq., is extracted from Yarrell’s “British

Fishes.” These creatures were kept about twelve days in a glass vessel,

and their actions were equally novel and amusing. “An appearance of

search for a resting-place induced me,” says Mr. Lukis, “to consult

their wishes, by placing seaweed and straws in the vessel: the desired

effect was obtained, and has afforded me much to reflect upon in their

habits. They now exhibit many of their peculiarities, and few subjects

of the deep have displayed, _in prison_, more sport or more

intelligence.

“When swimming about, they maintain a vertical position; but the tail is

ready to grasp whatever meets it in the water, quickly entwines in any

direction round the weeds, and, when fixed, the animal intently watches

the surrounding objects, and darts at its prey with the greatest

dexterity.

“When the animals approach each other, they often twist their tails

together, and struggle to separate or attach themselves to the weeds:

this is done by the under part of their cheeks or chin, which is also

used for raising the body when a new spot is wanted for the tail to

entwine afresh. The eyes move independently of each other, as in the

chameleon, and this, with the brilliant changeable iridescence about the

head, and its blue bands, forcibly reminds the observer of that animal.”

[Illustration: THE FLYING FISH OF THE OCEAN.

(_Exocætus volitans._)]

THIS fish has a slender body, a projecting under-lip, and very large and

prominent eyes. The ventral fins are small, but the pectoral fins are so

long and wide as to answer the purpose of wings, and aided by them the

fish is enabled to rise out of the water, and support itself in the air.

It must not be supposed, however, that the Flying-fish can soar like a

bird; on the contrary, it can only spring from the water to a

considerable height (sometimes as much as twenty feet), and fly about a

hundred and fifty, or two hundred yards; most commonly, however, it does

not rise above two or three feet from the water, and remains fluttering

over the surface for about a hundred yards, when it again drops into its

native element. There is another Flying-fish (_Exocætus exiliens_) in

the Mediterranean.

[Illustration: THE GURNARD. (_Trigla cuculus._)]

THIS genus is divided into several species. The Red Gurnard has fins and

body of a bright red colour; and the head is large, and covered with

strong bony plates. The eyes are large, round, and vertical; the mouth

is large; and the palate and jaws are armed with sharp teeth. The

gill-membrane has seven rays. The back has a longitudinal spinous groove

on each side. There are slender articulate appendages at the base of

each pectoral fin. This fish is not unfrequently met with on the

southern shores of England; and is often seen exposed in the

fish-markets of the maritime towns of Dorset and Devonshire, as well as

in Cornwall. It is a pleasant-tasting fish, when properly stuffed and

baked, the flavour being similar to that of the haddock.

Whilst in the water, the colours of the Red Gurnard are almost

inconceivably brilliant and beautiful, particularly in the broad glare

of sunshine, as they then vary, in the most pleasing manner, with every

motion of the fish.

The Grey Gurnard (_Trigla gurnardus_) usually measures from one to two

feet in length. The extremity of the head, in front, is armed on each

side with three short spines. The forehead and the covers of the gills

are silvery; the latter being finely radiated. The body is covered with

small scales; the upper parts are of a deep grey, spotted with white and

yellow, and sometimes with black; and the lower parts silvery. About the

months of May and June, the Grey Gurnards approach the shores in

considerable shoals, for the purpose of depositing their spawn in the

shallows; at other times they reside in the depths of the ocean, where

they have a plentiful supply of food in crabs, lobsters, and other

shell-fish, on which it is supposed they for the most part feed. They

are occasionally found on the shores of Great Britain and Ireland, in

the spawning season.

The _Lucerna_ is caught in the Mediterranean Sea, and is of a very

curious shape; its fins about the gills being so large, and spreading so

much like a fan on each side, that they appear somewhat like wings. The

tail is bifid, and the scales very small. The flesh is esteemed among

the Italians, and the Lucerna is often seen in the fish-markets of

Naples, Venice, and other towns on the sea-shore. This fish much

resembles the Father Lasher and the Gurnard; and it is called Lucerna

because it shines in the dark.

The Flying Gurnard (_Dactyloptera Mediterranea_), which is the commonest

flying-fish of the Mediterranean Sea, is about a foot long; it is brown

above, reddish below, and has blackish fins spotted with blue. The

pectoral fins with which it supports itself in the air are of immense

extent. On each operculum there is a long and pointed spine, with which

the fish can inflict severe wounds.

[Illustration: THE JOHN DORY. (_Zeus faber._)]

IT would be an inexcusable neglect to pass this fish unnoticed, not on

account of its disputing with the haddock the honour of having been

pressed by the fingers of the apostle, nor of its having been trodden

upon by the gigantic foot of St. Christopher, when he carried on his

shoulders a divine burden across an arm of the sea, but for the

excellence of its flesh. It has been for some years in such favour with

our epicures, that one of them, a comedian of high repute (Quin), took a

journey to Plymouth merely to eat this fish in perfection. Its body

presents the shape of a rhomboid, but the sides are much compressed; the

mouth is large, and the snout long, composed of several cartilaginous

plates, which wrap and fold one over another, in order to enable the

fish to catch its prey. The colour is a dark green, marked with black

spots, with a golden gloss, whence the name originated. They inhabit the

coasts of England, and particularly Torbay, whence they are sent to the

fish-markets of London.

When the Dory is taken alive out of the water, it is able to compress

its internal organs so rapidly that the air, in rushing through the

openings of the gills, produces a kind of noise somewhat like that

which, on similar occasions, is emitted by the gurnards.

[Illustration: THE BLEPHARIS. (_Blepharis ciliaris._)]

THIS species of the Dory is of a bright silver colour, with a cast of

bluish-green on the back. Several of the last rays, both of the dorsal

and anal fin, extend beyond the membrane, reaching even farther than the

tail itself. It has been supposed that the smaller kind of fishes may be

attracted with these long flexible filaments, and mistake them for

worms, while the Zeus, concealed among the sea-weeds, lies in wait for

its prey. It is a native of the Indian seas.

THE OPAH, OR KING FISH. (_Lampris guttatus._)