FISHES. 259 



was, in November, 1837, when penny postages were un- 

 known, sent to him through the post-office, although nineteen 

 and a half inches long; it was folded up like a riband, and 

 passed in a franked letter of the ordinary size and legal weight 

 under an ounce.* A dead specimen of another was picked 

 up on the beach at Cairnlough, County Antrim, in 1836, by 

 Dr. J. L. Driunmond, author of Letters to a Young Natura- 

 list; and being transmitted to Belfast, was found to be so 

 perfectly unique as to require the establishment of a new 

 genus for its reception. Some of the young for whose use 

 this little book is especially written, may yet, in like manner, 

 be so fortunate as to enrich our Fauna with species of which 

 no other specimens are extant. f 



Scomberidce. The next family contains the Opah, the 

 Dory, and the Sword-fish, all of which have been already 

 mentioned (p. 236, 233). To this belongs the Pilot-fish 

 (Naucrates ductor, Fig. 207), celebrated for its attendance 



Fig 207. PILOT-FISH. 



on the large Sharks, and supposed by the ancients to have 

 pointed out to navigators their desired course, and borne 

 them company during their voyage. Here also must be 

 placed the Bonito (Thynnus pelamys), one of the ruthless 

 pursuers of the Flying-fish; 

 and the Tunny (Thynnus vul- 

 garis, Fig. 208), a fish of 

 large size, though here repre- 

 sented by a very diminutive 

 figure. One killed at Inverary Fig. 208. TUNNY. 



* Magazine of Natural History, 1838. 



f It was described and figured by Mr. W. Thompson, in the Trans- 

 actions of the Zoological Society, vol. ii. ; the species being named in 

 honour of the discoverer, Echiodon Drummondii. 



