A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



82. Shanny. Blennius pholis, Linn. 

 Common in rock pools and under stones 



between tide marks. 



83. Crested Blenny. Carelopbus ascanii, 



Walb. 



According to R. Couch has been frequently 

 obtained, but is rare in Mount's Bay, Cornish 

 having recorded the first at Penzance in 

 1878. 



84. Butterfish or Gunnel. Centronotus gun- 



nellus, Bl. Schn. 



Common between tide marks. 



85. Red Band-fish. Cepola rubescens. Linn. 

 Mr. Dunn recorded it from Mevagissey. 



86. Angler, Fishing Frog, Monk-fish, or 



Sea Devil. Lophlus piscatorius, Linn. 

 Common. The spawn is shed in a gela- 

 tinous band. The writer has seen some of 

 this spawn brought up on to the deck of a 

 trawler off the Wolf Rock, and Mr. Dunn 

 obtained a band which was floating at the 

 surface off Mevagissey and sent it to the Ply- 

 mouth Laboratory. 



ANACANTHINI 



87. Cod. Gadus morrhua, Linn. 



Plentiful and of good size, but usually 

 somewhat smaller and inferior in flavour to 

 those of the North Sea. 



88. Haddock. Gadus teg/efinus, Linn. 



At present haddock are rare off the Cornish 

 coast. I have not paid particular attention 

 to the point, but if caught at all only single 

 specimens are taken occasionally. Mr. Dunn 

 stated that they were plentiful off Mevagissey 

 until 1870, in weight up to 1 2 lb., but en- 

 tirely left the coast in that year. R. Couch 

 observed that they spawned in Cornwall. 



89. Bib, Pout, Whiting-pout. Gadus luscus, 



Linn. 



Abundant. These fish are often called 

 blens or blinds in Cornwall from the peculiar 

 bulging of the opaque cornea of the large 

 eyes after death. 



90. Power or Poor Cod. Gadus minutus, 



Linn. 



Equally common with the bib. 



91. Whiting. Gadus merlangus, Linn. 



Abundant, taken by hand lines and also by 

 the trawlers. 



92. Poutassou. Gadus poutassou, Risso. 



Mr. Couch obtained a specimen at Pol- 



perro in 1 840. According to Matthias Dunn 

 young poutassou were abundant in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Mevagissey in 1861, 1871 and 

 1881. 



93. Coal-fish. Gadus virens, Linn. 



In Cornwall this fish is known as the raun- 

 ing pollack, which appears to mean ravenous 

 pollack. It is often more common than the 

 true pollack, and is of large size. Many are 

 landed by the long-liners at Polperro, and I 

 have caught fine specimens off the Runnel- 

 stone Buoy near the Land's End. 



94. Pollack. Gadus pottacbius, Linn. 

 Common ; caught by the long-lines, and 



also by amateurs by whiffing and other 

 methods. 



95. Norway Pout. Gadus esmartii, Nilsson. 

 Mr. Matthias Dunn obtained specimens of 



a Gadus unknown to him from the stomach 

 of a pollack caught in a trawl 40 miles north- 

 west of St. Ives. Two of the specimens 

 were sent to the Plymouth Laboratory in 

 1897 a "d identified by Mr. Holt as G. esmarkii 

 (Journ. M.B.A. v. 79). The species had 

 been previously found off the west coast 

 of Scotland and the west coast of Ireland at 

 depths between 26 and 144 fathoms. In 

 August 1 900 Mr. Garstang identified a speci- 

 men taken in a ground seine between Saltash 

 and the Lynher river. This specimen was 

 about 7 inches long. 



96. Hake. Merlucius vu/garis, Cuv. 



A characteristic Cornish fish, but accounts 

 agree in stating that it is much scarcer now, 

 especially in inshore waters, than it used to 

 be. It is a fish which ranges to deep water, 

 and the steam trawlers landing at Plymouth 

 and Milford Haven catch very large numbers 

 at the mouth of the English Channel, and 

 even in the Bay of Biscay. 



97. Greater Fork-beard. 

 Bl. Schn. 



Phycis blennioideS) 



J. Couch considered this species rather 

 common in Cornwall, but Mr. Cornish states 

 that it is rare ; he obtained one at Penzance 

 in 1864 and one at the Land's End in 1870. 

 In 1873 one was taken in a herring net at 

 Looe. In 1892 one was received at Ply- 

 mouth caught on a whiting hook 5 miles from 

 shore, and according to Holt one has been 

 trawled in Cawsand Bay. 



98. Ling. Molva vulgaris, Flem. 



Common ; numbers of large specimens 

 are caught by the long-lines at Polperro and 

 elsewhere. 



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