THE GURNARD FAMILY. 257 



family. We shall not attempt to describe all these fish, which resemble each other very much in 

 all but the color. They all have large heads, sheathed with rough, bony plates, and armed with 

 many acute points, and their dorsal fin has also several sharp, thorny rays. These prickles are all 

 erected by the fish when taken alive, and they inflict a painful, though not, as many say, a poison- 

 ous wound. The broad mouth is furnished with rough, but not sharp, teeth; the pectoral fins in 

 most of the species are very long, and can be expanded like a fan, whence they are sometimes 

 called Flying-fish and Butterfly-fish.' It is doubtful, however, whether they cau actually fly like a 

 flying-fish, but they have been said to skip from wave to wave, a peculiarity often alluded to 

 by halieutic poets. They also emit a grunting sound, which can be distinctly heard in still weather 

 while lying at anchor on a shallow, which they frequent. At such a time the sound resembles the 

 distant lowing of kine. When freshly taken from the water they grunt quite loudly, whence 

 their popular name of Gruuter, or Cuckoo-fish. 



" The Gurnards live on crabs and delicate fresh food, taking all such baits readily, on a clean 

 bottom, and they sometimes annoy fishermen hugely by their voracity. They play well on the 

 hook, and a large one tuggiug at a rod is often supposed to be a game fish and a prize, till the 

 ugly Sea-robin, with his spiky helmet, shows himself at the surface. 



"The Gurnards of our coasts do not reach a large size, at least we have but rarely seen any that 

 weighed over a pound, while in Europe some of the species, such as the Tub-fish, Trigla hirundo, 

 have been found weighing eleven pounds, and those of seven or eight are common. The Red Gur- 

 nard, or Eotchet, T. cuculus, and the Piper, T. lyra, reach three or four pounds, averaging about 

 two, while the other European kinds resemble ours as to size. 



" Small as our species are, they are not the less delicate when cooked, and we have often veri- 

 fied this fact. They are sold in England by the number, and not by weight, for their large heads 

 are inedible, while they add, perhaps, one-quarter to their weight. The English fishermen take 

 them almost everywhere along the coast in large trawl-nets, constructed for their capture, though 

 other bottom fish may find their way into the net. These trawls are generally twelve or sixteen 

 feet wide at the mouth, with a bag proportioned to their beam, which has one or two labyrinths 

 like a fyke-net inside. The trawl is managed from a large sail-boat, with a block and tackle, and 

 is hauled in water as deep as eight or ten fathoms. We do not recommend this special fishery to 

 our coast fishermen, as our Gurnards are small, but wish only to call attention to the edible qual- 

 ities of this generally despised fish. 



" Piscator (the anonymous author of the 'Practical Angler'), in his excellent little treatise 

 entitled 'Fish; How to Choose and How to Dress,' published in 1843, says of the Gurnard that 

 their flesh is ' white, excellent, exceedingly firm, and shells out into snowy flakes, and is of a 

 remarkably agreeable flavor,' and that 'they keep well.' He recommends them to be boiled that 

 is. the large ones ; while the small ones may be split and fried. 



" We have no popular names for the species that are found in our waters. All are called 

 Sea-robins, Flying-fish, Gruuters, &c. 



Having drawn attention to this first as one that deserves a place on our tables, we leave his 

 fate hereafter to the tender care of a good cook and a discerning palate.'" 



Another member ot'this family is the 1'i'i-ixlvdiinn minliiluni Goocle, a brilliant red species recently 

 discovered by the Fish Commission in the deep waters on the coast of Southern Xew England. 



THE AGONUS FAMILY. Another family closely related to the family TrujUda'- is the family 

 At/onidfB, the members of which are remarkable mi account of their angular bodies encased in 

 spinous, bony plates; it is represented on our east coast by one species. The Aspidophoroides 

 17 F 



