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XIII. Description of a Specimen of Schedophilus medusophagus, a Fish new to the 
British Fauna. By Dr. Auzert Ginruer, F.R.S., VP.Z.S. 
Received June 21st, read June 21st, 1881. 
[Puate XLVII.] 
In May last I received from my valued correspondent Mr. J. Douglas Ogilby a fish 
preserved in spirits, with the following notes :— 
“The fish was obtained during the second week of August 1878, in a salmon-net, at 
Portrush, co. Antrim, and came at once into my hands, none of the fishermen engaged 
in the fishery having previously met with any thing similar to it. It was the most 
delicate adult fish I ever handled—so much so that, within twenty-four hours of its 
capture, the skin of the belly with the intestines fell off when it was lifted, and it felt 
in the hand quite soft and boneless. Its stomach contained herring-fry. I may 
mention that a few days subsequently to above date I got a fine specimen of a Tunny, 
also at Portrush.” 
The fish proved to be a fine example of Schedophilus medusophagus, Cocco, a genus 
which, as far as is known, has not been previously met with near the British coast. 
Originally described from specimens obtained in the Mediterranean, the species was 
afterwards found in the open Atlantic’, and quite recently in the South Sea? near 
Samoa. It is evidently a pelagic form which, at least in the adult state, descends to 
some depth. The want of firmness in the tissues, well described by Mr. Ogilby, seems 
clearly to indicate it as a deep-sea fish. But we have no evidence as to the exact 
depth to which it may descend, which probably does not exceed a hundred fathoms, 
As in other deep-sea fishes, the young of this species are more frequently found near 
the surface than the adult, which are very rare. They accompany floating objects, 
chiefly for real or fancied protection, or for the sake of animalcules which congregate 
round every object floating on the surface of the sea; this is what induces these little 
fish to follow Meduse. The idea expressed by the specific name of our fish, viz. that 
it follows Meduse in order to feed on them, cannot be correct, as the fish could draw 
but little nourishment from those animals. The specimen obtained by Mr. Ogilby 
probably followed one of the shoals of fry of Clupeoids which annually travel from 
the open sea towards our coasts, and are followed by a number of southern fish which 
prey upon them and in their turn are pursued by larger pelagic fishes such as Tunnies 
and other Scombroids. 
’ Giinth. Fish. ii. p. 412; Liitken, Vid. Selsk. Skr, 1880, p. 525, 
? Giinth. Fisch, d. Siidsee, p. 149. 
VOL. XI.— PART Vil. No. 2.—October, 1882. 2M 
