762 MR. F. DAY ON THE FISHES [Dec. 2, 



heave of the sea. Having rowed up to the fish, they found his 

 skin too tough to permit them to fix the conger-gaff in him ; and 

 their attempts seemed to occasion him neither discomfort nor alarm. 

 Next they succeeded in introducing the gaff into his mouth ; he 

 struggled violently for a few minutes, got his head down, and with one 

 wrench escaped, bearing the gaff away with him. 



Thinking that a similar opportunity might again occur, a large 

 hook was fastened to a stick, a lanyard being securely affixed to the 

 hook, and " stopped " along the stick ; to a hook at the end of the 

 lanyard a strong line could be attached when necessary. No 

 opportunity occurred of testing this implement until July 31st, 

 1878, when, just as Lord Ducie was about to shoot an Otter-trawl 

 from his fishing- cutter (a boat of 30 tons), a Sunfish was seen close 

 alongside in about 6 fathoms of water. Going up to it in a dinghy 

 rowed by one man, this fish allowed them to approach quite close. It 

 lay on one side, blowing a stream of water out of its mouth, and 

 vacuously rolling its eyes without showing alarm, although only 

 about one yard distant. Now the hook was fixed into its mouth : 

 for three or two seconds it remained motionless, and then with one 

 plunge dived down. Some few fathoms of line from the 50- fathom 

 reel had fortunately been uncoiled ; yet for a few moments it appeared 

 as if the fish would prove the more powerful, and carry away reel 

 and all. One turn of the line was got round the stern of the boat, 

 which the fish now dragged through the water for some 200 yards ; 

 but from time to time striking the sandy bottom of the shallow bay, 

 it came to the surface, plunging down again with gradually failing 

 strength. It was secured after about half an hour's chase, and took 

 six men to haul it above high-watermark. Length 6 feet 3 inches ; 

 depth 3 feet 2 inches ; distance from fin to fin, taking the extreme 

 points, 7 feet 5 inches. Two more were subsequently captured in a 

 similar way. 



Acipenser sttjrio, Linn. The Sturgeon. 



Baker records both the common form and likewise the broad- 

 snouted variety from Somersetshire. In the Weston Museum 

 exist the remains of one which was taken in the stationary shrimp- 

 nets. An example in my collection was kindly sent to me by Mr. 

 Carrington ; it lived in the Aquarium from May 1878 to July 1879. 

 Originally captured off Margate, the fishermen fastened a line round 

 its tail, and towed it thus at the stern of their vessel to the Thames. 

 On arrival the rope was found to have cut almost to the back- 

 bone; so great was the injury, that the fish was at first refused. 

 However, it so entirely recovered that scarcely a trace of the scar 

 remains. While in the Aquarium it was fed on lob-worms. 



Galeus canis, Bonap. The Tope. 



Weston. 



Lamna cornubica. The Porbeagle or Beaumaris Shark. 



An example 4 feet 3 inches in length was captured in the mid- 



