AND THE FISH THEREOF. 77 



John Dorys are common at all seasons, and belong to the second class 

 of fishes. Their Latin name was Janitor, the door-keeper, in allusion to 

 Saint Peter ; hence they have probably derived their vulgar name (Pesce San 

 Pietro) ; the popular legend points to this fish as being the one out of whose 

 mouth the Apostle took the tribute-money, the marks on either side of its 

 body being supposed to be the impressions of his thumb and finger. 



The family of Black-fishes is of little or no value ; it is represented by 

 two species of Stromateus, which are common, but have little value as food, 

 and two species of Centroloft/ms, which are rare. Centrolophus pompilus 

 frequents brackish waters, the mouths of rivers, and the lagoons of Venice ; 

 it has also been caught at Trieste and in Dalmatia. 



The Dolphins, a name which is misapplied to the genus Coryphama, are 

 rare in the gulf; two species are known, and single specimens are some- 

 times fished in the course of the summer ; C. pelagica has been caught at 

 Trieste ; their flesh is not bad. Ray's Sea-bream belongs to the same 

 family ; its flesh is good, but it is too rare to be of any value in the fisheries. 

 Ausonia Cuvieri is occasionally met with, but is very rare ; it attains to great 

 size, and in December, 1879, a specimen of 50 kilos weight was caught at 

 Miramare, near Trieste, Twenty years ago one was caught at Muggia, also 

 near Trieste ; its flesh is said to be excellent. Schedophilus Botteri has been 

 found in one instance off Lesina. The Coryphcznidce are all pelagic forms. 



The Mackerel family furnishes the chief produce of the summer fisheries, 

 but the take is subject to great fluctuations, and it almost seems that the 

 stream of the migrations of this tribe does not always reach the head of 

 the Adriatic Gulf. The fishing lasts from May to September, and angling 

 for mackerel constitutes a favourite summer sport. The Spanish mackerel 

 is not uncommon at Spalato, but is inferior in quality to the common 

 mackerel. Scomber pneumatophorus is a southern species, with an air- 

 bladder, only occasionally met with. 



The common Tunny 1 and the Thynnus thunnina are the chief repre- 



1 Its salted preparation was esteemed by the Romans under the name of Saltamentum 

 Sardicum. — Gunther. 



