352 NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BERMUDAS. 



specimen to be the common Dactylopterus, or Flying 

 Gurnard of the Mediterranean (Trigla volitans of Lin- 

 naeus), which is described as common in that sea, though 

 entirely unknown along the ocean coast of Europe ; also 

 as being found on all the central and southern shores of 

 America, even as far north as Newfoundland. This dis- 

 tribution of the Dactylopterus volitans is supposed to be 

 aided by the waters of the Gulf Stream. The fish 

 appears to be unknown to the Bermuda fishermen. 



April 20th, 1852. — Shiel,the fisherman, visited the Public 

 Library to-day with a strange fish, captured by a brother 

 piscator, and which was supposed to be a Cod Fish. I 

 unfortunately missed seeing it myself; but Stevens, the 

 librarian, tells me it measured from twenty-seven to 

 twenty-eight inches in length. On looking over De 

 Kay's plates of the New York Fishes, Stevens at once 

 recognised that of the Cusk (Brosmins vulgaris) as 

 agreeing in every particular with the fish he had 

 examined. He was quite positive as to the long, un- 

 broken dorsal fin and rounded tail. 



This fish was sent to the Custom House expressly 

 for my inspection, but by some mistake was taken into 

 the Colonial Offices. 



It was considered by many persons to be a " Cod Fish." 



October 2/^th, 1852. — Walking down the front street of 

 Hamilton this morning my attention was drawn to a 

 commotion in the water caused by a shoal of Mackerel 

 {Scomber colzas'), as they dashed furiously at the small 

 fish and "fry" which frequent the shallows. On ap- 

 proaching to watch their proceedings, the Mackerel 



