is true, that in' the Adriatick we have no whales to encounter,
nor the -immenfe ihoals of polar fifties that fill the northern feas;
b u tit is alfo true, that our navigation is not ufually directed to
America, nor to China; and therefore a filherman accuftomed
to beat our fea in all weathers, becomes an excellent mariner for
all our occafiona.
■ T he common' fiihes of thofe waters which wander alone, oral
ieaft not in ihoals, fuch as ¿ eat id congrí, orate, and others, are
¡alfo caught by night, with illuminated boats; and the Primo-
rians are wonderfully dexterous in (hiking them with the fqfcina,
which is along wooden lance, armed at the end with a fort of
iron comb, o f -which the teeth are made after the manner of a
fiih hook. T h e tonni palamide, lizze, fword fi£h, and goffi, are
alib frequently feen at the tables, o f Macarfka.
T h e dolphins, and turjioni, which are of the fame genus, wan-
¡der with full liberty in ; thofe waters, -as no body hitherto has
thought o f drawing advantage from this finall fpecies, o f the
cetacei o i our-fea. The Dalmatian fiihers have a kind o f friend-
fhip and gratitude to the dolphins;’ giving them the merit of
chafing the fiih towards the illuminated boats, whither they are
furniihed with nets or the fojcina; and in the laft cafe, the fiflier-
men do not fail to throw fome large fiih over-board to the dolphin,
as i f to fhare the booty with him. I f I had had time and
opportunity, I would have endeavoured to convince fome fiftier-
men, lefs unreafonable than the reft, o f the damage that thefe
'voracious animals actually do to the filhing, and of the advantage
that might be derived from faking their .fleih, and melt-
img their fat into oil.
The
T h e P&eea rarely appear in the channel o f Primorie, though
‘they are frequently feen near the mouth o f the Narenta. They
-love the grounds that are interrupted’-by ¡rocks and fonali ¡Hands,
•on which they go often out of ¡the-water tOenjoytthe -open« air ;
and hence they are frequently met with on the coafts of litri»,
and among the iilands o f the Quarnaro.
The inhabitan ts o f the lea coaft -attribute to -this amphibious
‘animal a great propensity for-tgrapes; and pofitiviely affirm; that
it ufes to land in the night time, ¡and eat the bunches o f grapes
'from-the vines in the proper feafon, There are three forts of
-peilbnous or hurtful fiih, that are ¡often found it» the -inking
.nets; the colombot or dov&ifift* »called in Selavoni&n xutug 'ia. or
xutizza, on account df its yellowiih colour ; it is thè pàfltiìdca
marina, the park,■ or-ipidèr; mA xhu jcarpenti, or -fcorpion fiih.
The poifon Of thefe fifties lies in the pundure o f a (harp pointed
bone on their backs; and which the fithermen flaun with -great
care, But, if, oetwithrtanding their precautions, they h. ppen
-to be pricked, the,y apply, for .the . wound of. the jcarpena, the
.gajl,-i>f;the animal itfejfj, andffor that: of. the,pauk, and xutizza,
■.the white gall (as they call it) of the cuttle fiih, in .their dialed
I p p l r « or olfgagn, alipeft according t© the, Batin,; But the heft
remedy, of all is, a ftraitj^andstge. pp the .part,¡offended,(and . an
in ci fi on by which thqpotfqned.bipod, runsspht.i T h e torpedo
is very common in -thofe, Jiaqts, and -is ¡called. ?rtw£;*,the numb-
neis o f the foot, or liano,. gs'c:iLÌcìhcìÌ hy .touciu-ng 1 t,^ does not ole
to continue long, or:itaJiaye,an^ cqpfeq^en,c.ed.
The (hejl filli o f this foy fo^na no-, r^markahle iiriiels.either s*ti\
regard to variety or blauty. The Pinna,$ which jaffaajciiplaces
■of a muddy bottom grow to the length o f two feet, give a bad
P -P kind