SILVERY HAIRTAIL. 183 



said, that in seeking for lobsters cast ashore by the storm, 

 they found it lying dead upon the sandy beach." 



" Its head was much broken, probably by being dashed 

 upon the rocks above low-water mark : the bones of the 

 upper part of the head still remained, and the sockets of the 

 eyes were distinguishable, very near to each other : the ex- 

 tremity of the upper jaw, or upper part of the mouth, was 

 entire; upon either side of which was an operculum. The 

 length of the head could not be measured exactly, but was 

 about eight or nine inches : the body, from the gills to the 

 point of the tail, was three feet two inches long ; its greatest 

 breadth six inches and a quarter, and its greatest thickness 

 only an inch : the vent was two inches from the gills ; these 

 were much broken, and partly gone, so that the number of 

 the rays could not be ascertained. Both sides of the fish 

 were wholly white, without a spot upon them ; the dorsal 

 fin was the only part of a different colour, being a blackish 

 green : this fin ran all along the back from the gills to the 

 tail, consisting of a great number of rays, soft, and little 

 more than an inch long. Each of the pectoral fins had six 

 double rays. There were no ventral nor anal fins ; but the 

 belly was a sharp, smooth, and entire edge. The tail ended 

 in a point, consisting of three or four soft spines or bristles 

 of different lengths, not exceeding two inches. The body 

 was nearly of the same breadth for one half of its length, and 

 then its breadth diminished gradually till within three inches 

 of the tail, when the diminution became more quick. The 

 lateral line was straight, and strongly marked along the 

 middle of the two sides." 



" This was the first individual of the genus Trichiurus, 

 as far as I know, that had ever been found on the British 

 coast. But although the fishermen have not found out the 

 means to catch them, it now appears that these fish inhabit 



