The Zoologist — September, 1873. 3697 



hunted it up and shot it, it had swallowed a young child. The animal is 

 about twenty-one feet long, and its stuffed skin is to be deposited in the 

 Madras Museum. 



Rare Fishes at Penzance. — I have to report the under-mentioned five 

 rarities : — 



The Blackfish (Centrolophus Pompilus). — Taken in Mount's Bay. I had 

 the fish dressed by broiling. Its flesh was white, soft and flaky, and of a 

 very delicate flavour. 



The Solenette (Monochirus linguatulus). — I took this myself — or rather, 

 a starfish took it, and T took the starfish holding the solenette in its feelers. 

 It was a small well-marked specimen, three inches long. 



The Braize or Beker (Pagrus vulgaris). — I took this in my nets. It was 

 a small specimen, but is the first I have seen for several years. 



Bloch's Gurnard (Trigla Blochii). — I took two specimens at Lamorna, 

 in this bay, on long lines. I regard this fish not as rare in this neighbour- 

 hood, but as frequently confounded with red hellick. 



The Torpedo (Raia Torpedo). — It was taken in a trawl on the bank 

 between the Lizard and the Land's End. The fisherman who caught it 

 did not know what it was, and did not become aware of its electrifying 

 powers until he was in the act of cleaning it : on attempting to take out the 

 gut he received a very unpleasant shock. — Thomas Cornish; Penzance, 

 August 8, 1878. 



Fox Shark off the Coast of Cornwall. — A few days since I was much 

 interested in examining, in the flesh (or rather fish), a specimen of the fox 

 shark or thrasher {Carcharias vulpes), which was captured about a fortnight 

 ago at Mevagissey, Cornwall, and from thence forwarded to Plymouth, 

 packed in salt, to be preserved for the Museum of the Plymouth Institution. 

 It was a rather small specimen, about five feet six inches long, the upper 

 lobe of the tail alone measuring half that length ; but the most remarkale 

 feature in connection with its capture, was that of its being caught with a 

 hook and line, which so rarely happens on our coasts that Mr. Couch, in 

 his ' History of the Fishes of the British Islands,' says that no instance of 

 it has come within his knowledge, though sometimes taken in drift-nets. 

 However, this example was really taken with a common whiting-hook baited 

 with a piece of pilchard, at a depth of thirty-five fathoms, I was told ; and 

 when it was brought to the surface of the water it struggled and fought 

 so gamely that it could not be hauled into the boat, and was allowed to rush 

 away with the whole length of line, which somehow becoming coiled round 

 its long tail, so hampered the fish that it was afterwards got into the boat 

 without difficulty. — John Gatconibe. 



Brighton Aqnarium. — " Brighton still keeps far ahead of all rivalry in 

 the size of its aquarium, and fairly deserves to be considered the leader of 



