154 SCOMBERID.E. 



The flesh of the Tunny is considered very delicious food ; 

 but it is so solid, that it seems something between fish and 

 meat : it is as firm as Sturgeon, but finer flavoured. " They 

 dress this fish in France," says an author, "in a great variety 

 of ways, and always excellent : it makes capital soup ; or it is 

 served as a ragout, or plain fried or broiled : pies are made of 

 it, which are so celebrated as to be sent all over France ; they 

 will keep good for six weeks or two months. There is also a 

 mode of preserving it to keep the whole year round with salt 

 and oil, called Thon marine : this is eaten cold, as we eat 

 pickled Salmon." The flesh before it is cooked has the red 

 appearance of beef, but when dressed it becomes more pale. 



In the ocean, and on the western shores of the European 

 Continent, the appearance of the Tunny is more rare, al- 

 most accidental. Duhamel records having known it to be 

 taken off Brest harbour. Mr. Couch has noticed their ap- 

 pearance on the Cornish coast, and will be referred to again. 

 Mr. Donovan states that, in 1801, three Tunnies were taken 

 near the entrance of the river Thames, and brought to Bil- 

 lingsgate Market for sale. Mr. Paget says that small speci- 

 mens are not unfrequently caught during the Mackerel fishery 

 off Yarmouth. They have been taken among the islands 

 west and north of Scotland, where they are called Mackrelsture 

 or Mackerelstawr (Great Mackerel) ; a name derived from 

 the Norwegians, or, according to other authors, from the 

 Danish word stor, which signifies ' great.' 



Dr. Scouler has communicated to the Magazine of Natural 



j 



History a notice (vol. vi. p. 559) of a specimen of a Tunny 

 taken in the Gair-loch, nearly opposite Greenock, in July 

 1831. It had entered the loch in pursuit of Herrings, got 

 entangled among the nets, was sent by the fishermen to Glas- 

 gow, and is now deposited in the Andersonian Museum. 

 This specimen exceeded the average size, being nine feet in 

 length. 



