BORER. 409 



districts of our own island, in the northern waters of which, 

 and especially about Scarborough, it is known to fishermen 

 from the injury it inflicts by destroying the fish w^iich have 

 been left on their bulters or long lines for a sufficient time to 

 have become dead, and thus presenting themselves as an 

 unresisting and inviting prey; for there is reason to suppose 

 that the appetite of this fish is only disposed to feed on such 

 as are lately dead, but which have not yet suffered decay or 

 putrefaction. The Cod, Ling, and Haddock are frequently 

 thus the subjects of its depredations; and the INIackarcl also, 

 when it has fallen to the bottom from the net. Sometimes, 

 however, it has chanced to be the victim instead of the 

 devourer, and it has been found partly digested in the stomach 

 of a living Cod, an instance of which among others is men- 

 tioned by W. P. Cocks, Esq., as having fallen under his notice 

 at Falmouth. But this fish must be regarded as of exceedingly 

 rare occurrence on our south or west coast, as also in Ireland, 

 where it is barely mentioned by Mr. Thompson, but who 

 refers to the remarkable fact that an instance had been known 

 where it had been taken with a hook. 



The fullest and most satisfactory account of this fish is con- 

 tained in the Swedish work of Fries and Ekstrom; from M'hich 

 therefore the principal portion of our materials is derived; but 

 our figure and description in addition are from nature, and for 

 these it is Avith pleasure we own our obligation to Edmund T. 

 Higgins, Esq., from whom our example, of remarkable size, 

 was obtained. 



Ekstrom observes that the Myxine is common on the west 

 coast of Sweden, and along that of Norway up to the North 

 Cape; but it is not known in the Baltic; and it is singular 

 that the males of this fish have not yet been discovered, nor 

 the young ones of either sex of a less size than about nine 

 inches in length. The reason assigned for this is built on the 

 supposition that neither of these are as predaceous as the females 

 of full growth, or perhaps that their food is different; but the 

 adult females are ravenous in a high degree; and although 

 beyond doubt there are times when they must feed differently, 

 as we have noticed in the fact that they have sometimes taken 

 a bait, although this is seldom; yet their favourite method of 

 feeding is by entering into the body of a dead fish; where 

 VOL. IV. 3 G 



