{Crampois.}
Crampois Is A Large Fish, And By Some Accounted A Young Whale;
But It Is Not So; Neither Is It More Than Twenty Five Or Thirty Foot Long.
They Spout As The Whale Does, And When Taken Yield Good Oil.
{Bottle-Noses.}
Bottle-Noses are between the Crampois and Porpois, and lie near the Soundings.
They are never seen to swim leisurely, as sometimes all other Fish do,
but are continually running after their Prey in Great Shoals,
like wild Horses, leaping now and then above the Water.
The French
esteem them good Food, and eat them both fresh and salt.
{Porpoises.}
Porpoises are frequent, all over the Ocean and Rivers that are salt;
nay, we have a Fresh-Water Lake in the great Sound of North Carolina
that has Porpoises in it. And several sorts of other unknown Fish,
as the Indians say, that we are wholly Strangers to. As to the Porpoises,
they make good Oil; they prey upon other Fish as Drums, yet never are known
to take a Bait, so as to be catch'd with a Hook.
{Sharks.}
Of these there are two sorts; one call'd Paracooda-Noses;
the other Shovel-Noses; they cannot take their Prey before
they turn themselves on their Backs; wherefore some Negro's,
and others, that can swim and dive well, go naked into the Water,
with a Knife in their Hand, and fight the Shark, and very commonly kill him,
or wound him so, that he turns Tail, and runs away. Their Livors make
good Oil to dress Leather withal; the Bones found in their Head
are said to hasten the Birth, and ease the Stone, by bringing it away.
Their Meat is eaten in scarce times; but I never could away with it,
though a great Lover of Fish. Their Back-Bone is of one entire Thickness.
Of the Bones, or Joints, I have known Buttons made, which serve well enough
in scarce Times, and remote Places.
{Dog-Fish.}
The Dog-Fish are a small sort of the Shark Kind; and are caught
with Hook and Line, fishing for Drums. They say, they are good Meat;
but we have so many other sorts of delicate Fish, that I shall hardly ever
make Tryal what they are.
{Spanish-Mackarel.}
Spanish Mackarel are, in Colour and Shape, like the common Mackarel,
only much thicker. They are caught with Hook and Line at the Inlets,
and sometimes out a little way at Sea. They are a very fine hard Fish,
and of good Taste. They are about two Foot long, or better.
{Cavallies.}
Cavallies are taken in the same Places. They are of a brownish Colour,
have exceeding small Scales, and a very thick Skin; they are as firm a Fish
as ever I saw; therefore will keep sweet (in the hot Weather) two days,
when others will stink in half a day, unless salted. They ought to be scaled
as soon as taken; otherwise you must pull off the Skin and Scales,
when boiled; the Skin being the choicest of the Fish.
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