PERCH-LIKE FISHES 143 



is brownish, the soft dorsal reddish-yellow, and the finlets 

 yellow with black edges. 



Grow to a length of 12 feet or more and a weight of 1500 lb. 



Several species have been described, but, since specimens 

 of these fishes are comparatively rare in museums, it is almost 

 impossible to make accurate comparisons of examples from 

 one part of the world with those from another, except by means 

 of measurements, sketches and photographs — always an 

 unsatisfactory method. It seems likely that at least two 

 species should be recognized, one from the Mediterranean, the 

 Atlantic and the Pacific coast of America, the other from 

 Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii and elsewhere in the 

 Pacific. The first of these is the Short-finned Tunny, Common 

 Tunny, Great Tunny, Tuna, Atun, Great Albacore or Blue-fin 

 Tunny (T. thynnus) ; the other is the Oriental Tunny (T. 

 orientalis), known in Australia as " Bonita ", and in Japan as 

 " Black Tunny ", " Maguro " or " Kuroshibi ". 



The Tunnies are easily the largest members of the Mackerel 

 family, and are among trie most powerful and speedy of 

 oceanic fishes. Every line of their bodies is suggestive of 

 rapid motion, and their form is perhaps more perfectly adapted 

 for swift progress through water than that of any other fish. 

 It is the admiration of those interested in the mechanics of 

 marine objects, and might well serve man as a pattern for his 

 submarines, racing yachts, and other vessels. 



The body of a Tunny is beautifully streamlined, and its 

 smooth, rounded contours are admirably adapted to slip easily 

 through the water, there being a complete absence of irregu- 

 larities or projections calculated to hinder progression. The 

 finely moulded, bullet-shaped head forms an efficient cut- 

 water, and the closely fitting jaws and flat gill-covers, and the 

 firm smooth eyes, set flush with the surrounding surfaces of 

 the head', are features that suggest a fish capable of great 

 bursts of speecl. The fins might perhaps be expected to impede 

 progress to some extent, but the spinous dorsal, the pectorals 

 and the pelvics all fit into grooves or depressions in the body 

 so as not to interrupt the contour. The soft dorsal and anal 

 fins, as well as the little finlets, act as balancers and ensure 

 stability, while the powerful crescent-shaped caudal fin, 

 actuated by muscular movements of the whole body, provides 



