YOUNG SPECIMENS OF OENTROLOPHUS POMPILUS. 267 



examined. Eisso speaks of young examples having dark transverse 

 bands, so that it appears that, as is usual in fishes, there are several 

 phases of colouration. 



The records of the occurrence of the black-fish on the British 

 coasts, as collated by Day, are pretty numerous, the greater number 

 having come, like the specimens before us, from the coast of Corn- 

 wall ; from the same authority we learn that its range extends 

 southwards to Madeira, and into the Mediterranean, whilst it has 

 occurred so far north as the coast of Northumberland. 



Day quotes an interesting observation of Mr. Dunn, that of about 

 a dozen taken near Mevagissey, every one could be traced to the 

 neighbourhood of a large fish, generally a shark. The only shark 

 that I heard of was a young thresher, Alopias vulpes (Gmel.), 

 about 15 feet long, which was brought into Penzance a few days 

 previously from the neighbourhood of the Scilly Islands, and ex- 

 hibited in the market at a penny per head as a young whale. The 

 Runnistone is no great distance from the Scillies, but six or eight 

 black-fish seem rather a large escort for one shark, and it might be 

 supposed that the habibs of the thresher would render it a com- 

 panion more lively than agreeable. It may be mentioned that the 

 stomach of the thresher contained about a bucketful of pilchards. 



