GEN. TRICHIURUS. SILVERY HAIR-TAIL. 231 



lower third of the body, and follows that parallel to 

 its termination. The skin is covered with a delicate 

 silvery membrane : the colour is that of bright and 

 shining silver, the fins being greyish yellow; the 

 edge of the dorsal speckled with black ; the iris of 

 a golden hue. The length is about three feet. 



The claims of the lepturus to be regarded as a 

 British fish are very slender ; though some species 

 of the genus has assuredly been observed. Our sole 

 authority upon this point is the late Mr. Hoy, who 

 published his observations in the eleventh volume 

 of the Linnean Transactions. The specimen which 

 he described, and which was much mutilated, was 

 found on the beach at Port Gordon, Moray Frith, 

 on November 12th, 1812, and was sent next day 

 in a cart to Gordon Castle, at the request of whose 

 noble proprietor the examination was made. The 

 description we shall supply in Mr. Hoy's own 

 words. " The head of the fish had been broken 

 off, and was quite gone, a small bit of the gills only 

 remaining about the upper part of the throat, 

 whence, to the extremity of the tail, its length was 

 twelve feet nine inches ; its breadth, eleven inches 

 and a quarter, was nearly equal for the first six 

 feet, diminishing gradually thence to the tail, which 

 ended in a blunt point without any bristles; its 

 greatest thickness was two inches and a half; the 

 distance from the gills to the vent forty-six inches. 

 The dorsal fin extended from the head to the tail, 

 but was much torn and broken : the parts to which 

 the pectoral fins had been attached were perceivable 



