A HISTORY OF CORNWALL 



nutiensis, Walb., retaining the parr marks 

 usually throughout life, and only reaching 

 7 or 8 inches in length. They are however 

 fairly abundant, and afford good sport. The 

 streams in west Cornwall are too narrow and 

 overgrown for the artificial fly, and amateurs 

 mostly use insects and woodlice as bait. 



154. Anchovy. Engraulis encrasickolus, Linn. 

 Matthias Dunn stated long ago that 



anchovies were common every autumn off the 

 coast from Polperro to Falmouth, and in 1871 

 he reported the capture of 150,000 of these 

 fish at Mevagissey, which were used as 

 manure. Usually a few specimens are taken 

 in the pilchard nets, but there is no regular 

 fishery for them, as the supply is not suffi- 

 ciently constant. In 1891 and 1892 a few 

 hundreds were caught in small-meshed nets 

 employed by the staff of the Plymouth Labora- 

 tory off the Rame Head. There is a regular 

 fishery for anchovies in the Zuyder Zee in 

 Holland in summer, and it is believed that 

 they migrate in winter through the English 

 Channel. 



155. Herring. Clupea harengus, Linn. 

 Herrings are caught sometimes on the south 



coast from Looe and Mevagissey, but the 

 more regular fisheries are on the north coast 

 of the county at St. Ives, Newquay, and Port 

 Isaac. The chief fishery is that of St. Ives, 

 which has of late years taken the place of the 

 old seine fishery for pilchards. The fishery 

 lasts from the beginning of October to the 

 end of January, but the chief months are 

 November and December. The fish spawn 

 at the end of the season in Bassett's Bay. 



156. Sprat. Clupea sprattus, Linn. 



Sprats occur in small numbers along the 

 Cornish coasts, but they are not abundant, 

 and there is no regular fishery for them except 

 with ground seines at Saltash and the shores 

 of the Hamoaze. 



157. Pilchard. Clupea pi Ichardus, Linn. 

 Abundant from July to Christmas. 



**I58. Allis Shad. Clupea a/ma. Linn. 



Occurs on the south coast. Matthias Dunn 

 states that as many as 600 have been caught at 

 one time in a mackerel seine at Mevagissey. 



**I59- Twaite Shad. Clupea finta, Cuv. 



According to R. Couch, frequently taken in 

 pilchard and mackerel nets in west Cornwall. 



1 60. Paralepis coregonoides, Risso. 



A single specimen was taken by hand at 

 Polkerris near Mevagissey, in 1869, by Mr. 

 Dunn, who sent it to J. Couch ; the latter 

 presented it to the British Museum. It be- 

 longs to the Mediterranean, but is rare even 

 there. The Cornish specimen, in spirit, was 

 10 inches long. 



APODES 

 **i6l. Eel. Angmlla vu/garis, Turton. 



Common, but not abundant. The young, 

 from 2 inches in length upwards, are found 

 on the shore between tide marks, and in 

 freshwater streams in early summer, e.g. at 

 Mevagissey. 



162. Conger. Conger vulgaris, Cuv. 

 Abundant ; mostly taken on long lines 



baited with pilchard. All the marketable 

 conger caught are females. The fishermen 

 do not recognize the roe, which is in two 

 bands loaded with fat. The eggs are very 

 small. The males do not exceed 2^ feet in 

 length, and it has been shown by researches 

 at the Plymouth Laboratory that both sexes 

 die after spawning. The ripe fish are not 

 caught, because they do not feed for several 

 months before spawning. The young form 

 known as Ltptotepbahu is transparent, flat, 

 and ribbon-shaped, and has only rarely been 

 obtained. 



163. Muraena. Mureena helena, Linn. 



A specimen 4 ft. 4 in. long was captured 

 on a line at Polperro in 1834, and obtained 

 by J. Couch, who also received information of 

 another caught in a trammel at Fowey in 

 1866. 



GANOIDS 



**i64. Sturgeon. Adpenser sturia, Linn. 



Rare in Cornwall according to the Cornish Fauna, but no records are given by Day. 



CHONDROPTERYGIANS 



165. Blue Shark. Carcharias glaucus, Linn. A specimen 8 ft. 3 in. long was taken on a 



Common on the mackerel grounds in l' ne near Fowey in September 1868. 

 summer, and sometimes entangled in the nets. 



304 



