116 ACANTHOPTERYGIl. 



becomes more forked and the dorsal and anal by degrees take on the adult 

 characters. 



Varieties. — Couch supposed that one of his examples might be a new species 

 or difFering from the ordinary form. 



Names. — Thomps.in observes that this fish was called hen-fish in Ireland, 

 a term applied to such as are of somewhat rare occurrence. La castagnole, 

 French. 



Habits. — Gregarious in small companies, and probably lives in deep waters 

 in cold climes, and may be in that which is shallower where the air is not so cold. 

 Johnston says, " I have seen two specimens only, cast on shore after a storm, 

 and the Reverend Mr. Baird has seen another which had suffered a similar 

 wreck on the shore below Cocksburnpath." 



Means of capture. — Tlie rule appears to have obtained that a large proportion 

 of these fishes taken in this country have been met with dead after storms or 

 in a dying state, as if they had become subject to some extraneous influence 

 when wandering beyond their legitimate home. Couch, however, obtained one 

 that was taken by a bait : while in the Mediterranean, according to Risso, this 

 mode of capture is employed in May, June, and December. 



Breeding. — Risso says it spawns in summer. 



As food. — Valued for this purpose in the Mediterranean, its flesh being 

 considered wholesome, especially during the winter months. 



Sahitat. — This fish has been obtained in the Faroes, and does not appear 

 to be very rare on the south and west of Sweden, but seems always to have 

 been obtained during or after stormy weather. In five instances, from 1826 

 to 1850, all wore captured between November 1st and December 15th, but 

 such dates certainly do not apply to recorded British examples. It is more 

 common on the French coast and in the JMediterranean, where it appears to be 

 locally abundant, as at Genoa, while one specimen in the British Museum came 

 from the Cape of Good Hope. 



Ray gave the first account of this fish, having obtained a description and 

 figure of one left dead on the tide receding in Middlesbnrgh Marsh at the mouth 

 of the Tees in Yorkshire, September 18th, 1681 : the example came into the 

 possession of Dr. Johnson. The largest number of British examples have been 

 taken on the north of England, Scotland, and Ireland. 



In 1792, one taken at St. Andrew's was sent to the Edinburgh Museum 

 and subsequently came into Donovan's possession. Montagu recorded it from 

 Devonshire : Turton remarks on one taken at Swansea, November 12th, 1806. 

 In 1821, Hogg mentioned one found at Stockton-upon-Tees. "Miss Gnrney in 

 her Diary (Trans. Norwich Nat. Hist. Soc. ii, p. 19) snys that one of these fish 

 ttus found after a storm on Cromer beach in October, 1821. She made an 

 accurate coloured sketch of this fish, which was full sized" (J. Southwell, MSS."). 

 In 1844, Rudd (Zool. iii, p. 8i>3) observed upon three from Redcar, all found on 

 the beach during the autumn, and on December 2nd, 18.''iO, two more were cast 

 ashore at the same pL-.ce (Zool. 18.")1, p. 3010). Mr. Dowell saw one in Norwich, 

 January 25th, 1.S47, which was taken at Tfulmo." In 1850 one was similarly 

 th''0wn up at Norwich (Gurney, Zool. 1861, p. 3058). and during the same winter 

 several were found in the Firth of Forth ("Loo-an, Zool. p. 3058). October 24th, 

 1851, one taken in Ganirie hat'bour contained lai'ge ova, it was pushing its way 

 inwards against a receding tide (G. Harris, Zool. p. ooiil). R. Couch (Zool. 1846, 

 p, 1406) says, " two specimens have been taken at Polperro, and the late Mr. 

 Chirgwin informed me that one had been taken near the Runnel stone." 

 July 4th, 1866, Mr. Ckigg (Zool. p. 349) recorded one washed ashore at Liskeard. 

 Bnckland mentioned an example of 4^ lb. weii^lit which he received from 

 Northumberland in 1868. July lOtli, 1874, Mr. Cornish remarked (Zool. p. 4266) 

 that one was found nearly dead on the beach near Penzance, and he subsequently 

 recorded that on June 12th, 1876, as a heavy gale was abating, one was captured 

 in an exhausted state floundering about in tlie sa,me locality, while in its stomach 

 vi'as a cuttle fish about 4 inches lo]jg (Zool. 1875, p. 4542). Edward states it 

 to be rare in Banffshire : while Scouler considered it to be not uncommon on the 



