A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



Isles, and Day states that they were abundant 

 off Cornwall in 1840. They are occasionally 

 taken in the mackerel and pilchard nets. 



54. Germon or Long-finned Tunny. Thunnus 



germo, Lacep. 



According to Day has been twice taken in 

 Mount's Bay, the last time in 1846. 



55. Pelamid. Pelamys sare/a, Bloch. 

 Several specimens have been recorded by 



Dunn, Couch and Cornish, taken at Meva- 

 gissey, Polperro, Mount's Bay and other 

 places, but have sometimes been mistaken for 

 Thunnus thynnus. 



56. Plain Bonito. Auxis rochei, Risso. 



Specimens recorded in 1843 and 1844 at 

 Looe and Mount's Bay. 



57. Sucking-fish. Echeneis remora, Linn. 

 Mr. Dunn obtained a specimen, which he 



gave to J. Couch, from a blue shark taken 

 eighteen miles off the Deadman, near Meva- 

 gissey. As the blue shark is common off the 

 Cornish coast, it is possible that the sucking- 

 fish frequently accompanies it. 



58. Scabbard-fish. Lepidopus caudatus, Euphr. 

 Day mentions several records for Cornwall, 



beginning with two specimens taken in 

 Mount's Bay. Cocks, in Rep. Roy. Cornwall 

 Polyt. Soc. 1869, described one taken near 

 Falmouth at Gyllyng Vase which was 53 

 inches long. J. Couch stated that he had 

 records of four taken in Cornwall, one of 

 which was 64 inches long. 



59. Silvery Hair-tail. Tricbiurus lepturus, 



Linn. 



J. Couch figures the first authentic British 

 specimen of this species ; it was 2 ft. 3 in. 

 long and was thrown ashore at Whitsand's 

 Bay near the Land's End in 1853. Since 

 then a large number have been recorded as 

 obtained in Cornwall. According to Mat- 

 thias Dunn they were common in the winter 

 months from 1865 to 1875, but scarce before 

 and since that period. In 1867 one was 

 taken in a mackerel net in Mount's Bay, and 

 Mr. Cornish recorded others subsequently 

 (Lool. 1867, !87i, and 1872). Specimens 

 have also been recorded from Looe and 

 Helford river (Hardwicke, Sc. Gossip, 1872). 

 One was taken in 1876 in St. German's 

 river (Gatcombe, Zoo/. 1876). 



60. Sword-fish. Xiphias gladius, Linn. 



In August 1878 a specimen 8 ft. 7 in. 

 long and weighing 138 Ib. was taken by hook 

 and line in Mount's Bay (Cornish, Zeel 

 P- 350- 



61. Ray's Bream. Brama raii, BI. Schn. 

 This fish seems to live in rather deep water 



in the Atlantic and is occasionally thrown on 

 shore or found in shallow water after storms. 

 There are several records from Cornwall. 

 R. Couch (Zoo/. 1846) stated that two speci- 

 mens had been taken at Polperro, and one 

 near the Runnelstone in Mount's Bay. In 

 1866 (Zoo/.} Mr. Clogg recorded one washed 

 ashore at Looe. In 1874 and 1875 in the 

 same journal Mr. Cornish mentioned two 

 found near or on the beach near Penzance. 

 In March 1891 a specimen about i ft. 8 in. 

 long taken with a gaff at the surface near 

 Portscatho, was sent to the Plymouth Labora- 

 tory by Matthias Dunn, and examined by 

 the present writer. 



62. Opah or King-fish. Lamprts /una, Gmel. 

 Also belongs to the deep water of the At- 

 lantic, and has been most frequently taken on 

 the Norwegian coast and the northern shores 

 of the British Isles. A list of captures is to 

 be found in Rep. Roy. Corn. Polyt. Soc. for 

 1869. J. Couch mentions one taken in the 

 west of Cornwall in 1835. In June 1865 a 

 large specimen was taken in St. Austell Bay. 



63. Luvarus imperia/is, Rafin. 



This is a Mediterranean species, not com- 

 mon even in that sea. The only British 

 specimens have been taken in Cornwall : one 

 thrown on shore at the Deadman in 1 866 

 and sent by Dunn to Couch, another found 

 floundering in a tide-pool at Falmouth in the 

 same year. The first specimen is in the 

 British Museum, the second was 4 feet in 

 length. 



64. Scad or Horse-Mackerel. Caranx tra- 



churus y Linn. 



Frequently taken in the mackerel nets and 

 sometimes in seines. 



65. Pilot-fish. Naucrates ductor^ Linn. 

 Celebrated as the companion of sharks, it 



also accompanies ships, and has often followed 

 the latter into British harbours. Mr. Cocks 

 stated that in 1856 a shoal of these fish ap- 

 peared at the Custom House pier at Falmouth, 

 and dozens were taken by people on the 

 beach. Mr. Cornish recorded two at Pen- 

 zance in 1868, two taken in mackerel nets in 

 Mount's Bay in 1873 and another in 1874. 



66. Derbio. Lichia g/auca, Linn. 



Couch obtained a specimen 13 J inches 

 long taken in a drift net near the Runnelstone 

 in 1857. Mr. Cornish recorded a second 

 specimen taken near Penzance in 1878. 



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