134 ACANTHOPTERYGir. PERCH FAMILY. 



has an extraordinary habit of following wood- wreck 

 and other foul and floating bodies. Thus Mr. Couch 

 states it approaches the Cornish coast under pecu- 

 liar circumstances : when a piece of timber, covered 

 with barnacles, is brought by currents from more 

 southern regions, considerable numbers sometimes 

 accompany it. In the alacrity of their exertions, 

 they pass over the wreck in pursuit of each other, 

 and sometimes for a short space are left dry upon 

 the top, until a succeeding wave bears them off 

 again. From this it might be supposed that bar- 

 nacles constituted their food, but this does not 

 appear to be the case ; and more probably the nu- 

 merous small fishes, which follow the floating mass 

 for insects, are the attraction. Captain Nicholls, in 

 a voyage from Newfoundland to Portugal, having 

 his ship's bottom very foul, and covered with bai*- 

 nacles, was becalmed for many days about a hun- 

 dred leagues ofi" Oporto, and was for a fortnight 

 surrounded by these fishes, which followed the 

 ehljD and were caught by the crew. He fed his 

 men with them for twelve or fourteen days, who 

 considered them excellent. 



Gen. YI. Trachinus. — As already hinted, the two 

 species we have now to notice belong to the Jugular 

 branch of the Family. The Gen. Trachinus is rather 

 a numerous one, and extensively distributed. The 

 species belonging to it have no air-bladder, usually 

 hide themselves in the sand, and are very tenacious 

 of life. From this circumstance, the French have ap- 

 plied to them the name of La Vive, a corruption of 



