BLACKFISH. 181 



four specimens now recorded as taken in Cornwall, (Jago's 

 two were caught in one net,) and those described by other 

 authors, is easily explained by what is known to occur in 

 reference to other species. The Tunny, like the Pompilus, 

 is beautifully variegated in the Mediterranean Sea ; but with 

 us both of them assume an intense black. 



" The great strength and velocity of this fish have been 

 spoken of in terms of admiration by several authors ; and the 

 larger individual above mentioned, that fell into the hands 

 of my friend Mr. Jackson, of East Looe, afforded a corrobo- 

 ration of the truth of the observation. It was caught in a 

 net set for Salmon, at the mouth of the river, in the last 

 week in November 1830 ; and such was the force with which 

 it struck the bottom of the net, that it carried it before it 

 over the head rope. Jago found oreweed in the stomachs of 

 his fishes ; Ruysch says they feed on seaweed, though chiefly 

 on flesh ; and in my own specimen were found a muscle 

 without a shell, and a piece of a Sea Bream, Pagellus cen- 

 trodontiis, both, as I suppose, snatched as bait from the 

 fishermen's hooks, but was captured baited with the lask or 

 slice cut from the side of a Mackerel." 



Cuvier and M. Valenciennes appear to believe that the 

 two fishes they have designated by the term C. pompilus 

 and C. tnorio are only different states of the same species ; 

 and the descriptions and remarks of different authors in re- 

 ference to the colour, as well as other particulars of specimens 

 taken in the Mediterranean Sea, and in the ocean on the 

 western coast of Europe, go far to confirm their view : the 

 two names have therefore been brought together at the head 

 of this subject. If, however, they should hereafter be con- 

 sidered distinct, the reader has here representations of both. 



The representation of the fish at the head of this article is 

 derived from the figure given by M. Cuvier and Valen- 

 ciennes, and the vignette is reduced from Mr. Couch's 



