The Nautilus's fishermen had some trouble getting a grip on this animal, which, thanks to the formation of its gill covers, can protect its respiratory organs from any parching contact with the air and can live out of water for a good while. And I'll mention--for the record--some little banded blennies that follow ships into the northernmost seas, sharp-snouted carp exclusive to the north Atlantic, scorpionfish, and lastly the gadoid family, chiefly the cod species, which I detected in their waters of choice over these inexhaustible Grand Banks. Because Newfoundland is simply an underwater peak, you could call these cod mountain fish. While the Nautilus was clearing a path through their tight ranks, Conseil couldn't refrain from making this comment: "Mercy, look at these cod!" he said. "Why, I thought cod were flat, like dab or sole!"

“鹦鹉螺号”船上的人费了好些劲才抓到这只动物。这只动物的鳃盖骨构造特殊，接触干燥的空气后还能保持呼吸，因此离开水后还能存活一段时间。为了备忘，我现在要列举出：丛鱼，一种陪伴着北极海中的船只的小鱼；北大西洋特有的银白色尖嘴鱼；伊豆鲉鱼；我还注意到一种原则上属于鳕类的鳕鱼，在纽芬兰岛连绵的沙滩上和在这一带它们偏爱的水域里，我都能意外地见到它们。听说鳕鱼是山里的鱼，因为纽芬兰岛就是一座海底山峰。当“鹦鹉螺号”船只在鱼群密集的地方开辟出一条路时，康塞尔禁不住评论说：“哦！这些鳕鱼！我还以为鳕鱼像盖蝶和箬鳎鱼一样扁平呢？”

"Innocent boy!" I exclaimed. "Cod are flat only at the grocery store, where they're cut open and spread out on display. But in the water they're like mullet, spindle-shaped and perfectly built for speed."

“天真！”我喊道，“只有在杂货店里的鳕鱼才是扁平的。在杂货店里，人们把它们破膛摊开。但在水里，这种鱼像鲻鱼一样是梭形的，很适合在水中穿行。”

"I can easily believe master," Conseil replied. "But what crowds of them! What swarms!"

“我相信先生，”康塞尔回答说，“一块多密集的云啊，像蚂蚁一样密密麻麻！”