small winged insects that hover about the waters it inhabits; and the mode of taking its prey is very remarkable. When it sees a fly at a distance on any of the plants in the shallow water, it approaches very slowly, and with the utmost caution, coming as much as possible perpendicularly under the object. Then, putting its body in an obliqne direction, with the mouth and eyes near the surface, it remains for a moment immoveable. Having fixed its eyes directly on the insect, it shoots at it a drop of water from its tubular snout, but without showing its mouth above the surface, from whence only the drop seems to rise. This is done with so much dexterity, that though at the distance of four, five or six feet, it seldom fails to bring the fly into the water. With the closest attention, the mouth could never be discovered above the surface, although the fish has been seen to shoot several drops one after another, without leaving the place, or in the smallest apparent degree, moving its body.

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

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

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

The flesh of this species is white and well tasted.

THE COMMON MACKEREL.

THE Mackerel, when alive, from the elegance. of its shape, and the brilliancy of its colours, is one of the most beautiful fish that frequents our coasts. Death in some measure, impairs the colours, but it by no means defaces them.

It visits our shores in vast shoals; but, from being very tender and unfit for long carriage, is found less useful than other gregarious fish. In some places, it is taken by lines from boats, as during a fresh gale of wind it readily seizes a bait. It is necessary that the boat should be in motion in order to drag the bait along(a bit of red cloth or a piece of the tail of a Mackerel,) near the surface of the water. The great fishery for Mackerel is on some parts of the west coast

of England. This is of such an extent as to employ, in the whole, a capital of nearly 200,000 The fishermen go out to the distance of seve ral leagues from the shore, and stretch their nets, which are sometimes several miles in extent, across the tide, during the night. The meshes of these nets are just large enough to admit the heads of tolerably large fish, and catch them by the gills. A single boat has been known to bring in, after one night's fishing, a cargo that has sold for nearly seventy pounds. Besides these, there is another mode of fishing for Mackerel, in the west of England, with a ground seine. A roll of rope, of about two hundred fathoms in length, with the net fastened to the end, is tied, at the other, to a post or rock, on the shore. The boat is then rowed to the extremity of this coil, when a pole fixed there, leaded heavily at the bottom, is thrown overboard. The rowers from hence make as nearly as possible a semicircle, two men continually and regularly putting the net into the water.-When they come to the other end of the net, where there is another leaded pole, they throw that overboard. Another coil of rope, similar to the first, is by degrees thrown into the water, as the boatmen make for the shore. The boat's crew now land, and, with the assistance of persons stationed there, haul in each end of the net till they come to the two poles. The boat is then again pushed off towards the centre of the net, in order to

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prevent the more vigorous fish from leaping over the corks. By these means, three or four hundred fish are often caught at one haul.

Mackerel are said to be fond of human flesh. Pontoppidan informs us that a sailor, belonging to a ship lying in one of the harbours on the coast of Norway, went into the water to wash himself; when he was suddenly missed by his companions. In the course of a few minutes, however, he was seen on the surface with vast numbers of these fish fastened on him. The people went in a boat to his assistance: and though, when they got him up, they forced with some difficulty the fishes from him, they found it was too late; for the poor fellow, very shortly afterwards expired.

The roes of the Mackerel are used in the Mediterranean for caviar. The blood and slime are first washed off with vinegar, and the sinews and skinny parts taken away. They are then spread out for a short time to dry, and afterwards salted and hung up in a net, to drain some of the remaining moisture from them. When this is finished, they are laid in a kind of sieve, until thoroughly dry and fit for use. In Cornwall, and on several parts of the Continent, the Mackerel are preserved by pickling and salting. Their greatest weight seldom exceeds two pounds, though some have been seen that weighed more than five. Their voracity has scarcely any bounds; when they get among a shoal of

herrings, they make such havock as frequently to drive it away. They are very prolific, and deposit their spawn among the rocks near the shore, about the month of June. They die al

most immediately after they are taken out of the water, and for a short time exhibit a phosphoric light.

In spring their eyes are covered with a white film, that grows in the winter, and is regularly cast at the beginning of summer. During this time they are said to be nearly blind.

THE COMMON SALMON.

THIS fish seems confined, in a great measure, to the northern seas, being unknown in the Mediterranean, and in the waters of other warm climates. It lives in fresh as well as in salt waters, forcing itself in autumn up the rivers, sometimes . for hundreds of miles, for the purpose of depositing its spawn. In these peregrinations, it is that Salmon are caught in the great numbers that supply our markets and tables. Intent only on the object of their journey, they spring up cataracts, and over other obstacles of a very great height. This extraordinary power seems to be owing to a sudden jerk which the fish