74 NATURAL HISTORY. 



the pocket enables the fish to escape crushing from stones which may find their way into the trawl. 

 The net is twice the length of the beam, but is open below for the first half of its length. The 

 pockets are about half the length of the beam, and the cod about half the length of the pockets. The 

 trawls are usually kept down continuously for five or six hours. 



The trawl is usually towed in the same direction as the tide is running, and does not move 

 much faster than the progress of the tide. It requires some skill and technical appliances in lowering 

 it, so that it should reach the ground the light way up. The fish lie with their heads to the tide, 

 closs together, and when disturbed by the ground rope of the net they pass over this obstruction 

 without difficulty into the net. When the tide is done, or the boat has reached the limits of the 

 fishing ground, the vessel swings round with her head to the trawl, the rope is hauled in by the 

 men at the winch, and coiled away till the beam comes to the surface. The beam is then hauled over 

 the gunwale and made fast, and the net is got in by hand. If the catch is a good one, bringing 

 up from half to three-quarters of a ton of fish, the winch is used to hoist up the cod on to the deck, 

 where the fish are emptied out. Trawl fishing is much more successful at night, because the 

 fishes feed at night, and there is more trawling in winter than in summer, because there is then mors 

 wind. In the North Sea the fishing smacks often remain for six weeks or two months with the fleet 

 at long distances from land. Most trawling is done in a depth of from twenty to thirty fathoms. In 

 cold weather the Soles especially pass into deeper water, and then the fishing may extend to forty 

 fathoms or more. 



CHAPTER IV. 

 THE ORDERS PHARYNUOGNATHI AND ACAXTHOPTERYGII. 



Characters of the Order PHARYNGOGNATHI THE POMACENTRID.E Distribution Diet Distinctive Features THE 

 LABRID.E Characters The Ballan Wrasse The Cook Wrasse The Corkwing Other Genera The Group Ch?&ro- 

 pina The Group Julidina The Rainbow Wrasse The Genus Pseudodax The Group Scarina The Group Odacina 

 THE EMBIOTOCID.E THE GERRID.E THE CHROMIDES The Order ACANTHOPTERYGII Dr. Giinthers Classifi- 

 cation THE PERCID.E The Perch Where Found Diet Large-sized Specimens Characters The Bass The Ruffe 

 Allied Genera- -The Smooth Serranus The Dusky Perch The Stone Bass, or AVreck-fish Why so Called THE 

 PRISTIPOMATID.E THE SQUAMIPINNES Characters Various Genera Curious Habit of Shooting at Insects THE 

 NANDID^E THE MULLID.E THE RED MULLET -Epicurean Luxury Mode of Cooking THE SPARID^E THE BLACK 

 SEA BREAM, OR OLD WIFE The Bogue The Common Sea Bream- The Gilthead THE HOPLOGNATHIDJE THE 



ClRRHITID-E SCORP^ENINA THE POLTCENTRID^ THE TEUTHIDHXE THE BERYCID^ THE KURTID.E THE POLY- 



NEMID.E THE ScLEXin.E The Maigre Value of its Head THE XIPHIID.E The Common Sword-fish Contests 

 between Fox Sharks, Sword-fishes, and Whale The "Sword" THE TRICHIURJD.E The Scabbard-fish -The Silvery 

 Hairtail THE ACRONURID^E THE CARANGUXE The Scad, or Horse Mackerel THE CYTTINA The John Dory 

 Characters Whately's Little Joke Legends about the Dory THE STROMATEINA THE CORYPH^ENINA The Ray's 

 Bream The Opah THE NOMEINA THE SCOMBRINA THE MACKEREL Young " Shiners "Size Abundance- 

 Migrations Voracity Mackerel-fishing The Spanish Mackerel The Tunny Characters Size The Tunny Harvest 

 Beef -like Flesh The Bonito The Germon The Genus Pelamys-The Genus Auxis The Pilot-fish THE SUCKING- 

 FISH, OR REMORA Nature of the Sucking Disc. 



ORDER IV. PHARYNGOGNATHI, OR FISHES WITH JAWS IN THE THROAT, 



THE order of fishes termed Pharyngognathi is so named from the circumstance that they have 

 lower bones in the gullet, termed pharyngeal bones, which are blended together, though there is fre- 

 quently a median suture between them. The air-bladder in these fishes is not connected with the 

 throat by a pneumatic duct. The order is moreover distinguished by some of the rays of the 

 dorsal, anal, and ventral fins forming spines, and showing no indication of the usual jointed struc- 

 ture. Dr. Giinther follows Miiller in his definition of the order, but divides it into five families, 

 named from typical genera Pomacentridse, in which the scales are ctenoid; Labridse, in which 

 the scales are cycloid ; Embiotocidae, which have numerous rays in the anal fin ; the Gerridse, which 

 have few rays in the anal fin ; and the Chromides, which entirely want the pseudo- branchiae, or gill 

 on the operculum. 



