FISHES CAPTURED NEAR WHITBY 
IN OCTOBER, 1891. 
THOMAS STEPHENSON, 
Whitby. 
Orthagoriscus mola. Short Sunfish. I have to record the 
capture of this rare fish at Whitby. During the afternoon of 
Wednesday, Oct. 21st, 1891, some persons observed what at first 
sight appeared, from its rolling or turning motion in the water, 
e 
opposite the Saloon ; when it got into sufficiently shallow water, 
a lad waded in and got hold of one of its fins, and, with the 
assistance of some youths who were playing at football on the 
sands, soon hauled it clear of the sea. It proved to be a very 
large Sunfish, of the following dimensions :— 
= 
Ms 
Depth from tip to tip of fins - 
Length of body, viz., snout to outer er edge ‘ dental fin - 
rsal fin 
-_ 
oe 
Length of pectoral fin - - - - - 
Width * - - 
audal fin from oaks to outer elge - - 
Ce ieanine of = at thickest ~ se - 
ts of mouth - - - 
Width of _,, - : - - - : 
WHE INIT AOSMO 
a 
long 
se 
CORDCOCOHHHR AD 
-_ 
te 
The upper and lower jaws had in front of each two large, 
powerful teeth, with small elongated teeth behind. 
The skin, which appears to be totally devoid of scales, is 
rough, hard, and tough, similar to that of the Sharks, but rough 
both ways ; and had on it a slimy matter.. Next the skin is a 
thick coat, or rind, which varies in thickness in different parts of 
the body from 14 to 4 inches, of hard, firm, and tough substance, 
white in colour, and in appearance mostly resembling the kernel 
of the cocoa-nut, or, nearer still, blanc-mange, but hard and firm 
as india-rubber; under this coat or rind is flesh of a soft 
character and flakey, much resembling that of other fishes, but 
of a pale brownish-yellow colour. Next comes the frame, or 
skeleton, which is cartilaginous, similar to that of the Rays, but, 
ee if anything, of a softer nature. 
_ Jan. 1892 
