Plumes, cornets, knives, wheels, vices, horns and hammers.
[p. 104.] Psalm 104.25, 26. In ipso mari magno & spatioso, illic reptilia sunt atque innumera animantia parva cum magnis. Illic navea ambulant; balæna quam formasti ludendo in eo.
And as the females amongst Beasts and Birds of prey for form and beautie surpass the males, so do they especially amongst fishes; and those I intend to treat of, I shall divide into salt-water fish, and fresh-water fish.
The Sea that Piscina mirabilis affords us the greatest number, of which I shall begin first with the Whale a regal fish, as all fishes of extraordinary size are accounted, of these there are (as I have said in another place) seven kinds, the Ambergreese-Whale the chiefest. Anno Dom. 1668 the 17 of July there was one of them thrown up on the shore between Winter-harbour and Cape-porpus, about eight mile from the place where I lived, that was five and fifty foot long. They are Creatures of a vast magnitude and strength. The Royal Psalmist, in the 148 psalm, and the 7 verse, makes mention of them. Laudate Jehovam terrestria; Cete (Dracones as some translate it) & omnes abyssi. And Moses in his history of Job, Job 41. 1. An extrahas balænam hamo, &c. [p. 105.] Whereby the subtlety of the Devil is shewed, as also, the greatness and brutishness of the Devil by the Elephant, in the 10 verse of the foregoing Chapter. In the book of Jonas prophecies we read of a great fish, Jonah 1. 17. Pararat autem Jehova piscem magnum, qui obsorberet Jonam. But whether this were a Whale or not is questioned by some. In the head (saith Mr. Parkinson the Herbalist) of one only sort of Whale-fish is found that which is called sperma Cæti, it lyes in a hole therein, as it were a Well, taken out and prest that the oyl may come out, the substance is that we use for sperma Cæti, and hath little or no smell, the oyl smells strong. See the rarities of New-England.
The Sea-hare is as big as Grampus or Herrin-hog, and as white as a sheet; There hath been of them in Black-point-Harbour, & some way up the river, but we could never take any of them, several have shot sluggs at them, but lost their labour.
The Sturgeon is a Regal fish too, I have seen of them that have been sixteen foot in length: of their sounds they make Isinglass, which melted in the mouth is excellent to seal letters.
Sharkes there are infinite store, who tear the Fishermens nets to their great loss and hinderance; they are of two sorts, one flat [p. 106.] headed, the other long-snouted, the pretious stone in their heads (soveraign for the stone in a man) so much coveted by the travelling Chirurgeon is nought else but the brains of the flat-headed Sharke. With these we may joyn the Dog-fish or Thorn-hound, who hath two long sharp prickles on his back.
The Sea-horse or Morse is a kind of monster-fish numerous about the Isle of Sables, i. e. The sandy Isle. An Amphibious Creature kill’d for their Teeth and Oyl, never brings forth more than two at a birth; as also doth the Soil and Manate or Cow-fish which is supposed to be the Sea-monster spoken of by Jeremy, Lament. 4. 3. Etiam phocæ præbent mammam, lactant catulos suos; So the Latins render it, phoca a Sea-Calf or Soil.
The small Sword-fish is very good meat, the Sea-bat or Sea-owl a kind of flying fish.