THE GREAT WKEVER. 461 



Norwegian coast near Bergen, in the museum of which 

 town it is now preserved. The colour of both body and 

 fins, when first taken out of the water, was bright red, 

 and the sides and belly were very beautifully tinged like 

 silver. The head was armed with six spines. Length 

 twelve inches, and depth four inches and a half. 



Dr. Gunther, our celebrated ichthyologist, who has 

 kindly examined my drawing, is of opinion, I should 

 remark, that this fish is a stray specimen of Beryx deca- 

 dactylus, of Madeira. 



The Great Weever, or Sting-bull (Fjdrsing, Sw. ; 

 Fjcesing, Dan. ; Trachinus Draco, Linn.). The accom- 

 panying illustration by M. Wilhelm von Wright was 

 taken, as he assured me, from the fish whilst alive in a 

 tub of water. It is pretty common in the Bohus Skargard, 

 and on the whole of the western coast of Sweden, as 

 also on that of southern Norway ; but its limits to the 

 northward would not seem to be very accurately ascer- 

 tained. Occasionally it is taken in the lower parts of 

 the Baltic. So far as known, it is the only one of the 

 genus Trachintis inhabiting the Scandinavian seas, for 

 though the Lesser Weever (T. vipera, Cuv. & Val.) has 

 found a place in the Northern fauna, it does not 

 appear to have been fully identified on the shores of 

 either Sweden or Norway. The usual length of the 

 great weever is from nine to twelve inches, but it attains 

 to fifteen inches. It spawns in the beginning of sum- 

 mer, when it approaches nearer the shore, and is then 

 more abundant than ordinarily. Its flesh is said to 

 be good, but, probably from prejudice, is not eaten by 

 the fishermen. 



The great weever, like the herring, is a very capricious 

 fish. At one period it abounds on a particular line of 

 coast, and then all at once deserts it wholly or in great 

 part, though perhaps to return again in increased num- 



