86 FISH. 



THE GURNARD, OR GURNET. 



Trigla cuculus, Linnseus and Cuvier. 



lineata, Montague and others. 



Gumardus. 



There are several kinds of this fish, but the 

 most commonly taken are the red and gray ; the 

 former are very plentiful on the coasts of Great 

 Britain, but are not often found larger than twelve 

 or fourteen inches in length. It feeds on crusta- 

 ceous animals, spawns in May or June, and the 

 young are taken amongst the rocks on the coast 

 at the end of August. They are very good to eat, 

 and are found in perfection in October and through 

 the winter ; they are generally caught by the trawl 

 net in deep water, as they mostly swim at the 

 bottom ; they are very tenacious of life after being 

 taken from the water. Very good sport is obtained 

 by fishing for them with lines baited with a shin- 

 ing part of a sand-launce, but they will bite at any 

 bait. I have had good sport fishing for them 

 with hooks baited with the white part of fat pork 

 cut in strips. It is found in the Canaries, Tene- 

 riffe, the Mediterranean, &c. 



