TRICHIURID^. 155 



Habitat. — The Atlantic Ocean, being found on the east coast of North America 

 from Cape Cod to Florida, and the West Indies. Wanderers have been taken off 

 the British and Irish, and more rarely ofE the French coasts. 



Couch figures the first authentic British specimen of this fish ; it was 2 feet 

 3 inches long, and was thrown on shore oil Whitesands Bay, near Land's End, in 

 Cornwall, in April, 1853. Mr. Dunn observes that they were common in the 

 winter months from 1865 to 1875, but scarce both before and since that period. 

 Mr. Conoh before his death had many specimens. In April, 1867, one 2_jfeet 

 9 inches long was taken in a mackerel-boat in Mount's Bay (Zool. 1867, p. 793). 

 December 3rd, 1870, Mr. Cornish recorded one 2 feet 5 inches long taken in 

 Mount's Bay, and alludes to another captured a fortnight previously (Zool. 1871, 

 p. 2444), also on December 6th one 2-J- feet long, another subsequently, and one in 

 January, 1871 (1. c, p. 2649). On November 29th a specimen was taken in a 

 herring-net four miles from Looe, and Mr. Laughran obtained three more from 

 the same place and one from Plymouth, all captured within a few days of each 

 other (S. Clogg, Zool. p. 2445). In February, 1871, a " hair-tail " was taken in 

 Devonshire and another in Cornwall (T. Gatcombe, Zool. p. 2529). November, 

 1871, one 2\ feet long was found dead in Mount's Bay (Cornish, Zool. 1872, p. 

 2908) and on December 10th another, almost as long, at Swanage, in Dorsetshire 

 (Colson, Hardw. So. Gossip, 1872, p. 17). In the same publication an example is 

 recorded as taken on January 4th, 1872, at Helford Harbour, on the S.W. coast. 

 On February 1st Mr. Cornish states one was taken in Whitesands Bay, near Land's 

 End (Zool. 1872, p. 3127). Mr. Gatcombe in 1876 recorded one taken January 

 28th 2 feet 5 inches long from the St. Germain's River, Cornwall, and another 

 2 feet 8 inches long on January 29 from Homoaze, near Plymouth (Zool. 1876, 

 pp. 4806, 4887). 



Andrews records this fish from the Irish coast, while two were captured there 

 in February, 1871, and during the earlier months of 1872 five specimens were 

 taken in Dingle and Tralee Bays, Kerry, S.W. of Ireland (Hardw. Sc. Goss. 

 p. 113). 



HEAD or UMBRINA CIEEHOSA. 



