GEN. TRICHIURUS. SILVERY nAIR-TAIL. 229 



of the mouth, silvery ; the eyes very large ; the 

 colour of the skin, like burnished silver with a blue- 

 ish tint, quite smooth, as if destitute of scales. This 

 specimen was caught in June 1808, on the coast of 

 Devonshire. It was swimming with astonishing 

 velocity, with the head above water, — to use the 

 fishermen's expression, " Going as swift as a bird," — 

 and was killed by a blow of the oar. It was made 

 a public show in Kingsbridge, where in one day 

 a guinea was taken for its exhibition, at the rate of 

 one penny each person. A very young individual 

 was found alive on the coast of Devonshire, in 

 the month of February, 1810, which was brought 

 to Colonel Montague, but not till after it was dead ; 

 it in every respect resembled the larger one. This 

 accomplished Naturalist inquires, " How are we to 

 account for this very young specimen being found 

 in our seas, unless the spawn had been deposited on 

 our coasts ? and if we may now conclude that this 

 fish actually inhabits our seas, it is not a little curious 

 that it is not better known." It is said not to live 

 in society ; in the Mediterranean, it approaches the 

 shore in April and May, when the females spawn. 

 Here it is caught, and its flesh, according to Risso, 

 is firm and delicate. It is stated to be also frequent 

 off the coast of Portugal. 



Gen. XXXIII. Trichiurus. — This genus pos- 

 sesses the same kind of head and teeth as the fore- 

 going, so is it with the body and internal organiza- 

 tion ; but it is entirely destitute of ventral fins; its 

 anal is replaced by a set of very minute spines, which 



