GURNARDS. 



87 



be imagined, has somewhat of cruelty about it. 

 It is to stun the fish by a hard knock against the 

 deck or gunwale of the boat. The fins and thorns 

 are thus erected before the fisher places his hand 

 upon the fish ; he sees the danger, and is enabled 

 to keep clear of it. But the end may be attained 

 as securely without recourse to this cruel ex- 

 pedient. Any one who has ever taken a Pike on^ 

 the hook, will at once perceive the plan. Let the 

 Gurnard be seized with the fingers between the 

 eyes, just as the Pike, and the hand will be 

 secured against all danger."* 



The word Gurnard is supposed to be derived 

 from the French gronder, to grumble; and to 

 indicate the power, rare among fishes, but pos- 

 sessed by all the species of this genus, of emitting 

 vocal sounds. The common Red Gurnard is 

 termed the Cuckoo, from its uttering a double 

 note like that of our well known woodland bird ; 

 another species is named the Piper ; and the grey 

 species just alluded to, derives its appellation of 

 Crooner from the provincial word Croon, which 

 signifies a hollow humming sound. The voice is 

 generally heard the instant the fish is taken into 

 the hand, or removed from the water, but the 

 last named species is said to utter its " crooning " 

 as it ploughs the surface with its cleft and prickly 

 muzzle. 



Like other bottom fishes, the Gurnards live a 

 long time out of the water. 



One of the most common as well as the largest 



of our species is the Sapphirine Gurnard ( Trigla 



hirundo, Linn.), which owes both its common 



and its scientific appellation to its large pecto- 



* New Sporting Mag. xix. 94. 



