198 ACANTHOPTERYGII. MACKEREL FAMILY. 



Striped Bonito, which also belongs to this genus, 

 is a much smaller fish, rarely exceeding thirty 

 inches ; it is an inhabitant of the ocean, and visits 

 the British shores still more rarely than its con- 

 gener. It is well known in southern seas for the 

 chase which it gives in great troops to the Flying- 

 fish, to the amusement of the weary voyager. 

 Sailors frequently amuse themselves by catching 

 the Bonito with a hook fastened to a piece of lead, 

 shaped like a small fish, with wings made of feathers 

 attached, to give it the appearance of a Flying-fish. 

 Though relished by those living on salt provisions, 

 its flesh, which is like that of beef, is sometimes 

 considered dry and disagreeable. The Striped Tunny 

 has 8 finlets behind the second dorsal, and 7 behind 

 the anal ; and the sides of the abdomen are marked 

 with four longitudinal dusky bands. Mr. Stewart's 

 account, in the year 1817, of its occasional occur- 

 rence in the Frith of Forth, seems sufficiently minute 

 and satisfactory. Dr. Scouler states that a speci- 

 men was taken in the Frith of Clyde in July 1832 ; 

 but Mr. Couch, as in many other instances, is here 

 our most liberal contributor. According to him, 

 this fish is occasionally met with on the Cornish 

 coast : one specimen obtained was twenty-nine inches 

 long, and twenty in circumference close behind the 

 pectorals ; the colour was fine steel-blue, darker on 

 the back ; the sides dusky white ; behind the pec- 

 torals there are four dark lines which extend along- 

 each side of the abdomen to the tail, with scales like 

 those of the Mackerel : this individual was taken in 



