COUCHS POLYPRION. 21 



more southern regions, which these fishes inhabit, consider- 

 able numbers of them sometimes accompany it. In the ala- 

 crity of their exertions, they pass over the wreck in pursuit 

 of each other, and sometimes, for a short space, are left dry 

 on the top, until a succeeding wave bears them off again. 

 From the circumstance of their being usually found near 

 floating Avood covered with barnacles, it might be supposed 

 that this shell-fish forms their food ; but this does not appear 

 to be the case, since, in many that were opened, nothing 

 was found but small fishes. Perhaps these young fishes 

 follow the floating wood for the sake of the insects that ac- 

 company it, and thus draw the Stone Basse after them." 



The Rev. Robert Holdsworth, of Brixham, who has fur- 

 nished me with many interesting notes on British Fishes, 

 sends me word that on the Devonshire coast, this fish is also 

 called Stone Basse and Wreck-fish, thus illustrating the 

 habits of the species as noticed by Mr. Couch, by a reference 

 to the floating timbers to which the barnacles adhere, and 

 float along with them. Two paragraphs from Mr. Holds- 

 worth's letter on this fish are as follow: " October 7th, 1824. 

 The crew of the Providence smack found a large log of ma- 

 hogany in Start Bay, covered with long barnacles, and sur- 

 rounded by a shoal of these fish. They jigged, that is, 

 caught with a pole having a barbed hook at the end, four or 

 five. I had two cooked, which I purchased of the crew of 

 the Providence, and found them excellent." Captain Ni- 

 cholls, in a voyage from St. John's, Newfoundland, to the 

 coast of Portugal, having his ship's bottom very foul, and 

 covered with barnacles, was becalmed for many days within 

 a hundred leagues of Oporto, and was for a fortnight sur- 

 rounded with these fishes, which followed the ship, and were 

 caught by the crew. He fed his men upon them for twelve 

 or fourteen days, and considered them excellent food. 



As before noticed, according to M. Valenciennes, Savigny, 



