taken off the coast of Islorthumherlajid. 17 



Cornish specimen of G. Hawkenii. The Banksian figure, though 

 possessing a good general resemblance to a Gymnetrus, difiers so 

 widely from the figure we have been favoured with by Mr. Couch, 

 that we believe neither of them to have been a copy of the other, 

 and the differences in the measurements that accompany the 

 figures are such as to strengthen this belief ; the length of the 

 Banksian specimen is said to be 8 ft. 10 in., Mr. Couches 8|^ ft. 

 The depth of the former is 10 in., of the latter 10|^ in. ; the 

 thickness of the former 2| in., of the latter 2J in. These dis- 

 crepancies could scarcely have arisen from errors of copying, but 

 are more likely to be the result of examinations by different ob- 

 servers. It would therefore appear that there must either have 

 been more than one fish caught on the Cornish coast, or else that 

 difi*erent drawings and descriptions have been made of the same 

 specimen. 



The figure in the pamphlet does not appear to us materially 

 to elucidate the species of the Cornish fish ; indeed the details 

 both of the figures and descriptions are so imperfect that they 

 may quite as readily be taken for the G. Gladius as for the 

 G. Banksii', the spotting of Mr. Chirgwin's drawing brings 

 strongly to mind the markings of the G. Gladius. 



We are glad to be able, from a letter of Mr. Yarrell in the 

 above pamphlet, to add to the list of specimens now put on record 

 one which was cast on shore alive at the village of Crovie near 

 Macduff^, after a severe north-easterly gale in March 1844. It 

 is thus described : — " Length without the tail, which was want- 

 ing, 13 ft., greatest depth 12 in., greatest thickness 2f in. The 

 dorsal fin was 2^ in. in height, and extended to the back of the 

 head to a point near the tail. Rays in the dorsal fin apart from 

 its anterior elongation on the head 264. Filaments rising from 

 the head 15 ; the longest measuring 27 inches. They were con- 

 nected at the base by a thin membrane similar in consistency to 

 that which connects the rays of the dorsal fin, and are evidently 

 a continuation of that fin. The pectoral fin is 2^ in. long, the 

 rays 12 in. The ventrals consisted of two filaments 3 ft. in length. 

 They were fringed with a thin membrane on two sides, and had 

 evidently been broken. The head was 9 in. long from the point 

 of the lower jaw to the end of the operculum. The whole body 

 was covered with a delicate silvery white membrane, under which 

 appeared a series of tuberculated and smooth bands extending 

 over the whole length of the body ; twelve of these bands occu- 

 pied the space above the lateral line. When the fish was in a 

 fresh state these bands did not appear distinctly, but when the 

 skin was taken off" they appeared distinct enough. Behind the pec- 

 toral fins appeared a few narrow dark bands extending across the 

 fish ; these were quite distinct when the fish was in a fresh state, 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. iv. 2 



