88 FISH. 



to that of the other gurnards ; even Quin has borne 

 testimony to the merits of the west-country piper. 

 The gray gurnard is taken along the line of the 

 southern coast, and up the eastern coast going 

 northwards, on the coast of Scotland and at the 

 Orkneys ; it is found also in the Baltic and on the 

 coast of Norway. A writer in the ' Magazine of 

 Zoology and Botany' says, " The gray gurnard 

 is very abundant on the western coasts of Scot- 

 land, and often delights to swim on the surface. 

 We recollect observing the sports of shoals of this 

 species when on an excursion to the Western Isles 

 during a week of beautiful but too calm weather, 

 for it was before steamboats plied. They were 

 often discovered by their noise, a dull croak, or 

 croon, whence most probably their provincial name 

 of crooner, or by the ripple or plough of their nose 

 on the surface of the calm sea ; thus they would 

 swim for a few yards, and then languidly sink for 

 a foot or eighteen inches, display and stretch their 

 lovely fins, and again rise to the top. Boats were 

 out with hand lines ; almost all were half 

 full, the men having little to do but bait the hooks 

 and pull up ; we resorted to our guns, and killed 

 sufficient for dinner from the deck of the vessel." 



