XII. — Notes on Ausonia Cocksii. — By W. K. Bullmore, M.D., 

 Falmouth. 



IN the month of May, 1866, a strange fish was observed on the 

 beach near Gorran Haven ; and, apparently, it had been dead 

 some time. It was bought by Mr. Dunn of that place, and by 

 him presented to Mr. Jonathan Couch of Polperro, under whose 

 superintendence it was preserved, and sent to the British Museum. 

 It proved to be " Ausonia Cuvieri," a species with a Mediterranean 

 habitat, and one that had never before been known to disport 

 itself in British seas. 



Strange visitors, like troubles, seldom come singly ; and, singu- 

 larly enough, on Sunday the 1st of October, as some Falmouth 

 fishermen were scanning the Bay with their glasses, carefully 

 watching for the approach of Pilchards, their attention was 

 attracted to a strange commotion, about low-water mark, between 

 Gyllyngvase and the Castle Point. They immediately proceeded 

 to the spot, and, to their astonishment, they found there a large 

 fish, in about four feet of water, making most desperate efforts to 

 effect its escape. After a sharp resistance, during which one of 

 the men was severely wounded in the hand by the elongated 

 dorsal spine, the creature was secured, and was conveyed with all 

 possible dispatch to the Falmouth Fish-market. At a glance I 

 was satisfied that it belonged to the genus Ausonia, though of 

 what species I was ignorant. 



During the remainder of the week this strange visitor was ex- 

 hibited in various parts of the County, and was examined by 

 thousands of persons, and, as might have been readily conjectured, 

 numerous opinions were offered as to its name, habitat, and peculi- 

 arities generally. Through the%indness of Mr. Couch, I have 

 been favoured with a sketch of his examj)le, and from the com- 

 parisons I have instituted, I am led to the conclusion that the two 

 specimens are specifically distinct from each other. Under these 

 circumstances, I would suggest for the Falmouth example the name 

 of Ausonia Cocksii, in honour of my esteemed friend W. P. Cocks, 

 Esq., to whose genius and untiring energy the completeness of the 

 English Fauna is greatly attribiitable. 



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