276 PLECTOGNATHI. 



Bay, in fact in Cornwall it is not uncommon during the summer and autumn 

 months. 



Ireland.- — Has been taken on each side of the coast, but is an uncertain visitor; 

 one weighing 3cwt., taken September 15th, 1851, off the Gobbins, co. of Antrim, 

 was preserved in Queen's College, Belfast. One taken in Connemara weighed 

 6 cwt. 42 lb. A correspondent of Land and Water remarked on having seen many 

 during the summer months in the counties of Cork and Kerry ; and last summer, 

 while staying for two weeks on the Arran Islands, Galway Bay, he was three times 

 asked to buy one, as the Arranites could not believe a stranger would stay any 

 time on the islands unless they came to buy fish or kelp. From inquiries made at 

 the time, he learned that formerly a trade was carried on in catching them, the 

 weapon used being a harpoon or fishing-spear ; but now none of them seem to 

 have that kind of weapon (at least he could not find any man that had), but they 

 get chances, when out gurnet and bream fishing, of finding the sun-fish at the 

 surface of the water asleep ; then they bear down quietly on them, strike in a gaff, 

 and get a rope round tliem and tow them into land if they are too large to take 

 into their boats. 



One captured in June, 1846, off Chesil Bank, Dorsetshire, was 6 ft. 3 in. long : 

 this is the stuffed specimen, now 7 ft. long, in the British Museum, and labelled 

 from Portsmouth ; while in July, 1870, one was captured basking off Devonshire, 

 which was 5 ft. 6 in. long (A. Bell, Zool., p. 2260), and in August the same year 

 one 6 ft. 10 in. long and 4 ft. 5 in. high was taken at Swanage. It has, however, 

 been stated to attain to a very large size, measuring 7 or 8 ft. in length, and 

 weighing as many hundredweights. 



The specimen figured was 5 ft. I in. long and 6 ft. 3 in. high. It was captured 

 near Mevagissey, in September, 1883, and I made a drawing of it when brought 

 to the latter place. It weighed between 2 and 3 cwt., and was taken to the 

 Sydney Museum, New South Wales. 



B. Sldn smootli and tessellated (Ranzania). 

 2. Orthagoriscus truncatus, Plate CXLIX. 



Sondeletii sun-fish from Mount's Bay, Borlase, Cornwall, p. 267, pi. zxvi, f. 7. 

 Ostracion, no. 185 (part) Gronov. Zooph. Oblong diodon, Pennant, Brit. Zool. (Ed. 

 1776), iii, p. 129, pi. xix, f. 54, and oblong tetrodon (Ed. 1812) iii, p. 170, pi. xix. 



Tetrodon truncatus, Retz. Svensk. Vet. Ak. Nya Handl. vi, 2, p. 116 ; Gmel. 

 Linn. p. 1448 ; Donovan, Brit. Fishes, ii, pi. xli. 



Orthrafjorisr.us oblongus, Bl. Schn. p. 511, t. xcvii ; Jenyns, Manual, p. 491 ; 

 Yai-rell, Brit. Fishes (ed. 1) ii, p. 354, c. fig. (ed. 2) ii, p. 469 (ed. 3) ii, p. 439 ; 

 White, Catal. p. 118; Thompson, Nat. Hist. Ireland, iv, p. 244; Moreau, Poissons 

 De la France, ii, p. 77. 



Le Tetrodon lune, Lacepede, i, pp. 476, 509 (part) pi. xxii, f. 2. 



Geplialus oblongus, Shaw, Zool. v, p. 439, pi. clxxvi ; Turton, Fauna, jd. 116 ; 

 Swainson, FLshes, ii, p. 330. 



GepJiahis elongatus, Risso, Eur. Merid. iii, p. 173. 



Orthagoriscus truncatus, Flem. Brit. An. p. 175 ; Giinther, Catal. viii, p. 320 ; 

 Andrews, Proc. Roj^. Soc. Dublin, 1871, vi, p. 66, pi. i. 



Orthagoriscus varius, Cuv. Begne Anim. : Giglioli, Catal. Peso. Ital. p. 50. 



Mola planet, Nardo, Ferussac, Bull. Sc. Nat. xiii, 1828, p. 437 ; Canestrini, 

 Fauna d'ltalia, Pesci, p. 149. 



Gephalus cocherani. Trail, Wern. Mem. vi, 1832. 



Orthragoriscus elegans and batiarre, Ranzani, 1. c. 



Ranzania truncata, Nardo, An. Sc. Regn. Lombard. Venet. 1840, x, p. 105. 



Orthragoriscus lunaris, Gronov. ed Gray, p. 165. 



Oblong sun-fish, Couch, Fishes British Isles, iv, p. 381, pi. ccxlvi. 



D. 16-19, P. 12-13, A. 19, C. 18-22. 



Body of an elongated ovate form, with the sides compressed. The height of the 

 body equal to about one-half, length of head not quite ojic-tliird of the total length. 



