TUNNY. 



101 



cimoii tlie llO^•;il Miiscuiii liiis ;ic((iiiri'(l the left sub- 

 oiieiviiliun, wliicli measures 150') iniii. jiloiii;- the free 



111 October, 1843, a speciincii l)ec;niie stranded in ihe | been suggested as the most probable explanation of 

 shallows off Saltliiiliu in the Sdinid, and of this spe- their eonduet that they endeavour to hide from their 



enemies, ehieflj' from the Sharks. In the Mediterranean, 

 too, it is said that, when frightened, they try to con- 

 part (not covered b\- the operculum and interoperculum) ceal themselves in the seaAveed. Still the Tunny ])ur- 

 of the hind margin, a scale from the coi-slet and se- sues its own victims rapidly and eager!}'. These consist 

 veral tin-rays, all described by Sundicvai.i, (1. c). The principally of Herrings or, in the Mediterranean, An- 

 size of the suboperculum shows that the tish was | chovies and Sardines, Mackerel, Flying-fish, Sauries 



d)Out :?69 or 273 cm. (8 ft. 7 in. or 8 ft. '.) in.) in 



length. 



As appears from the list of synonyms, the Tunny 

 is also known not only in the W. Indies {Thynnus 

 corctta), and on the coast of Massachusetts {Th. sccundo- 

 (lursalis), but also in Japan {Th. oriciifnlis) and Australia. 

 (TJi. fJiijiuuts, ]\IcCoy). 



The Tunny is an active and voracious tish, but in 

 spite of its great size very timid. When the Ra'is, the 

 master of the madrayae, wants to drive the Tunnies 

 in the depths of the madrague from chamber to cham- 

 ber, he drops a handful of sand into the water, and 

 the iishes dart away, says Cetti, as though the sky 

 had fallen on them. If this expedient does not succeed, 

 especially when he has to drive them into the chamber 

 of death, he lets down a black sheep-skin, ^vhich seldom 



and Garpike. It is interesting to see how the Flj'ing- 

 fish endeavoui' to escape its attack: the Tuiniy follows 

 them during their flight, but does not leap out of the 

 water in pursuit of them as it does A\hen it chases the 

 Sauries. 



The spawning-season of the Tunny is in summei". 

 In April and the beginning of May, when the Tunny- 

 fishing first begins in Italy, one can scarcely distinguish 

 the eggs in the ovaries, which at this time weigh about 

 474 kgrin. in large specimens, whereas some daj^s after 

 in specimens of equal size they weigh about 42^2 kgrm. 

 befoi'e they are fully ripened". In the middle of June 

 the Tunnies, driven by instinct to propagate their spe- 

 cies, may be seen incessantly leaping and swimming 

 about in the bays and laying their eggs among the 

 seaweed, where they are fecundated by the males. 



fails to do its work. The sailor may often see his ., "When the Tunnies sport round the females in burn- 



vessel followed for long distances by Tunnies seeking 

 its shado^\'. No doubt thef fish snap up whatever is 

 thrown to them and bite freely at a hook baited with 

 Herring or something of the kind, at least so long as 

 there is any way on the vessel; but they follow it so 

 [lersistently even without these allurements that it has 



ing desire," says Risso'', "they are bright with a blaze 

 of shifting colours; their whole body is covei-ed with 

 golden spots, which vanish at the end of the spawning- 

 season." In the month of July the newly hatched fry 

 weigh about 42 gm., in August 113 gm., and in Oc- 

 tober they have reached a weight of 848 gm. 



" According lo Duke C. d'Amico of Ossada, quoted by Cuvier, (Cuv., Val., 1. c, p. 84). 

 * Etir. Mcr., 1. c, p. 418. 



