N A T U R A L H IS T O R Y of .N O R WA Y .
HedemarkeS, and other places ; but it does not bear any
great price. a - ■■■ | j
l&Ktir The Saa-ltafc, the Sea-Cat, -fe:Gatt«ag!vev©f hhe Mediter-
jraneafn found iri Nordkfld, blit not ire<|Ue4t, is a Fife unknown
to tnoft of my correfpotidents. i -It ..ftf about two feet long-;
the feM ft quite rttonid ; the eyes-are large p the belly thick, ;ba$t
tapering towards the tail,; which -ends in three points. ■ Near the
gills it has broad fins on the hack, of an unequal fee,- and 4wo
finall ones-under the mouth. The nofe has twb^long glibly flips*
like whiikefs, from which,, perhaps, the Fifti takes its name.
The fkin is brown and linooth, like an Eel’s. ' The heft part df>
thus Fiftx is the livery fe s i which is extracted an oik, reckoned an
incomparable liniment for the eyes. j .
soiv.Rfk. k The Shlr-Filk, a name by WbidiJ fball call a final! Sea^filh
fovfiid in Bergeris-fund-, of Which nobody could -tell me ahyWothfcr
flatne. **It is about a fihger and a half long, hardly half a finger
thick, roundilh, and without any great dififetewse .between the
tail and the fore-part, - but with a- little > kitid-sf be&k at the
head. The Ikirt has-no Rales, and is aU Ovir white, and Ihkiing
bke polilhed filver. Concerning the internal parts of this Filh- F
can lay nothing, becaule I have only feen it dry, withthe entrails
taken out. Mr. Willoughby, Libr %*-~<p. *■ *©, fp©aks of: s£
defcription that was given him of a finall Filh, of milch the famcT
colour and lhapey called ^theirana ; and p. aap -of another,!
which (as this is named by fome) he calls Argentina. Of this
Fifti the jewellers at Rome are.Rid to make falfepeads«p Wfttetkfer
either of thefe be the feme with oiff ’Sdlv-Fife I cannot 1111
« Exterius pulchre velut argento politiffimo o.bdU$uS refplendet.
Hujus ulus eft gemmariis ad margaritas artificiales <efliei©nd&s,
quae naturales & genuinas mentiantur.”
Spek hngger. The Spek-hngghtyor Vahu, is in lhape much like a Porpefle,
and about four feet long. It has a lharp fixmt and :very -keen
teeth ; which; with its long proje&ing jaws,,makes it fomowhat
refemble the Crocodile. This is a troubleibme Filh to others *
’tis his principal pleafure to harrafs and plague the great Whales,
which,'on account of their large fixe, are Ifeaft able to tur-n about,
or defend themfelves againft thefe lefler creatures, Sometimes
ode may fee half a fcore or more of thefe together, fall eagerly
upon t^e Whale, and fatten on his fidfes: they Will hang them
ah hoftr without loofihg their hold-, till they have each tore out a
mouthful of flelh of a foot fquare. During this attack the Whale
makes a difinal notfe, and will fometimes jump, up five or fix ‘feet
ah'OVfe' the furface of the .water; at which time thefe* Fifh 'are
feen hanging about him. Sometimes they don’t leave him till
they halve ftripf Aim ^.ithe-hbae^md then, > withfel*doubt.
hnh.- vAfob.this' the'ifbermen find ifdeah of the
Whale Sjfiefhjand fat floating! on {the water-, which Wm good
pfee'tQ:them) .for the SpefcAuggera; does mot esithe'llelh/^dt
ftnly. »* plaguing1 die largerffth. Thef#<cteftftiy^ are,
h'ow&ver, themfeltes deft toyed in their tufflj'foe When they*ate
obferved Uo .run .intQ ahnarfQwh'creek between the foclsc; the
fifihermpn theft/ffofe up! tibis^kee With n id-fe-dafee them.
Then fe fe melted dfeunfift tibia ^
to he tolerably weif/taftedr
- Sprmg-hvale, the Sprtng-Whak, See Hvalffek.' | . - " Sprmgwc.
n,_s: e :^T(. p v i r
; t k Lupus Jhi^htfae WolfiJfift^ ^ steenbite,
^fle%2rbeca^f%i-tiiuaiark;caa hitepebhleFftc)nes to piecesswitM '0
excelpY^lhwp^eiMAgaidft .thefe the.fiihermen;«© ufaligedMA^i
iifot -Whentheyiflnbe/fatten tBfii •
|p r& qW tfiek'h^d till the! hbfe crapks,/ TAefr lengthi'is’ a M
a' Aalf, j r twd feet;;.their skm,k
H P I l i l l P p f which t they tefemfele ihnhd
that Ith^l^eTomethirig/bi^det^ knd'
have a % t ^hsdtfe^-fesialbDg tkerbacfea.; Tfetfilai,* •
thick and rpuj|d, has im; thaf
Pfnft ^tj. ^ i^ twQ rows of teeife, M t^*npper iaridclbWtef - mv^
J k e ,#e(h of k isAard- feufifafl; irid asmugh efteeiued
m m 0* 'p e ^ . It A naught With a fee, i&hd (bftgfli M<d Witfi
^ Safepmfpe^r, when ifi.;8s :fefe/thfough'^lkr WMW^ on 8 the
fendR h#tona,;wA^e:.they cnhtinuatty ^
Lphfte^.m;;
■c . The . alfq Calted/Taiigfp^iflg,l t a u f e 4 ' Um^Steen-BroW
^ ^ r^ ly am^^fW#dd$,i;!andj perhaps feeds ppon them, is 'fond mer‘
and narrow likeran Eel, but die head; is almoft dike that -cif l
M e , and as. fpegkjed with dark fpots. HAe hack, as Well ail
the belly, fes fekerel . broad and ftrong fins mnMin’| ' the whole
TOW I f tit Tfeey arejirioftly feund.m Nordland, and are there
look d upon as an | In tafte they are much hke the
Lamprey. The roes is the m°tt efteem’d part. This i$, indeed,/.
wfU^fted, and fat in appearance, and feems to be the fame Fifh
^hfeh the Dutch call Sfcndferoepef. By ^folffe authors ’ ft °is
reckoned a kiipd of Torped^ “
The Sfeen-Ulfi^Kana PirCatrix,' the Frog-fifh, by the Inglifh Wuik.
and/the^Sicilians caned the Sea-Devil, becaufe of its frightful
fhape