TRACHYPTERIDJi}. 223 



have lived two hours after being landed. Its tail was damaged by lashing against 

 the rocks when the fish was captured. 



One was observed oS Northumberland, March 26th, 1849, about 6 miles from 

 shore in 20 or 30 fathoms of water, but lying on its side at the surface. " The fish 

 as they approached righted itself, and came with a gentle, lateral, undulating 

 motion towards them, showing its crest and a small portion of the head occasionally 

 above water ; when it came alongside, one of them struck it with his picket — a 

 hook attached to the end of a small stick, and used in landing their fish ; on this 

 it made off with a vigorous and vertical undulating motion, and disappeared as, 

 quick as lightning under the surface. In a short time it reappeared at a small 

 distance, and pulling up to it they found it again lying on its side ; they plied the 

 picket a second time and struck it a little behind the head ; the picket again tore 

 through the tender flesh by a violent effort of the fish, which escaped once more, 

 but with diminished vigour ; on the boat coming a third time alongside, the two 

 young men putting their arms round the fish lifted it into the boat. Signs of 

 life remained for some time after the fish was captured, but no doubt it was in a 

 dying or very sickly state when first discovered" (H. Hancock and D. Embleton, 

 Ann. Nat. Hist. (2) 1849, iv, p. 1). From an examination of the contents of the 

 stomach they were led to conclude that its habitual food had been confined to the 

 spawn of other fish, and the soft, small, defenceless inhabitants of the deep. 



Breeding. — The example taken in April, 1866, was found by Mr. Martin 

 Simpson to be a female near to spawning time. 



The following are most of the specimens which have been recorded as 

 British, others have been mentioned, but the authority in some at least appears 

 questionable. 



March, 1844, an example 12 feet long was secured at Crovie, near Macduff 

 (Marten) : Couch alludes to one 15^ feet long, which Mr. Peach informed him 

 had been captured at Kiess, a few miles from Wick: in July, 1877, one 12| feet 

 long at Dunnet Bay, Caithness, where it came ashore alive during calm weather 

 (Buckland) : September 17th, 1851, one 11 feet 10 inches long in the Bay of 

 Cromarty (G. Gordon, Zool. 1851, p. 3660) : August 21st, 1880, one 12 feet 9 

 inches long was found dead, but quite fresh and uninjured, at the mouth of the 

 Eden, on the sands at St. Andrew's : it has been stuffed and restored and is now 

 in the Museum. March 27th, 1794, one 10 feet 1 inch long was shown at 

 Newcastle : March 8th, 1876, one 13j- inches long was taken at Amble, opposite 

 Coquet Island (T. Wright) : in 1800 two were captured at the outer Fern Islands, 

 14 and 18 feet respectively in length : March 18th, 1796, one 13 feet long was 

 taken by four women at Filey (Banks) : in 1845 one 16 feet long was found alive 

 in a pool near Alnmouth by one of the Preventive Service Men. On his approach 

 it bent its body into a circle, and he, ignorantly thinking that it was going to spring 

 upon him, attacked it with his cutlass and cut off its head (Hancock) : March 

 2nd 1866, one 14 feet long, and not quite dead, was thrown ashore at West 

 Hartlepool after a storm (Tristram) : March 26th, 1849, one 12j feet long 

 at CuUercoats, and is now in the Newcastle Museum (Hancock) : in 1850, 

 January 3rd, one 10 feet 11 inches long was taken alive at Redcar (Zoolo- 

 gist) : April 23rd, 1866, one 10 feet long was taken in Yorkshire, and 

 is now in the Whitby Museum (Stephenson in the Fauna of Yorkshire) : 

 October 2nd, 1870, one 11 feet long, also from Yorkshire, is now in the 

 Wbitby Museum (1. c.) : January, 1880, one 16 feet long at Staithes, York- 

 shire (C. Elliot, Field, February 7th, 1880). January 22nd, 1759, one 11^ feet 

 in length was taken off Whitby (Annual Register) : February 23rd, 1788, one 85 

 feet long was taken at ebb tide on the sands at Newlyn, Mount's Bay, Cornwall, 

 and of which several copies appear to have been made, but with varying dates 

 attached. 



The figure on plate Ixiv is from the Newcastle specimens, and with assistance 

 received from Mr. Wright, the curator of the Museum. 



