154 ACANTHOPTERGYII. 



1. Trichiurus lepturus, Plate LI., Fig. 1. 



Seta 33, 1 : Lepturus, Artedi, Spec. p. Ill ; Linn. Mus. Ad. Fried, i, p. 76 

 pi. xxvi, f. 2. Gymnogaster, Linn. Syst. Nat. p. 53 ; Gronov., Mus. Ich., i 

 p. 17; Brown, Jamaica, p. 444, t. xlv, f. 4. Enchelyopus, Klein, MSS. iv, p. 52 

 pi. xii, f . 7. 



Trichiurus lepturus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 429 ; Hoy, Trans. Linn. Soc. xi, p 

 210 (? synon.); Bloch, t. 158; Gmel. Linn. p. 1141; Bl. Schn., p. 517; Flem 

 Brit. An., p. 204; Cuv. and Val. viii, p. 237; Jenyns, Man. p. 372; Yarrell, Brit 

 Fish (Ed. 1) i, p. 182, c. fig. (Ed. 2) i, p. 204 (Ed. 3) ii, p. 275 ; Swainson, Fishes 

 ii, p. 254 ; Storer, Boston Journ. iv, p. 181 ; Castelnau, Anim. Amer. Sud., p. 24 

 De Kay, New York Fauna, Fishes, p. 109, pi. xii, f. 35; Guichen. in Ramon de 

 la Sagra, Hist. Cuba, p. 105 ; White, Catal. Brit. Fish, p. 33 ; Giinther, Catal. ii, 

 p. 346 , Gill, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. Phil. 1864, p. 205 : Andrews, Proc. Roy. Dublin 

 Soc. vi, p. 35 ; Steind. Ich. Span. u. Port., 1867, p. 102 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, 

 ii, p. 547. 



Trichiurus argenteus, Shaw, Zool. iv, p. 90, pi. xii ; Mitchell, Trans. Lit. and 

 Phil. Soc. New York, i, p. 364. 



Hair-tail, Couch, Fish. Brit. Isles, ii, p. 61, pi. lxxviii. 



Lepturus argenteus, Gill, I.e. 1863, p. 226. 



B. vii, D. 135-136, P. 11, Coec. pyl. 24, Vert. 39/120. 



Length of head 9 to 10, height of body 16 to 17 in the total length. Eye — 

 diameter 6 in the length of the head, and situated in its anterior half, 2 diameters 

 from the end of the snout and 1 diameter apart : interorbital space nearly flat. 

 Lower jaw the longer, the posterior extremity of the maxilla reaches to beneath 

 the middle of the eye. The height of the body commences to diminish at about 

 the centre of its total length, ending in a slender tail. Teeth — about 15 in a 

 single row in either jaw, and two pairs of strong canines with barbed extremities 

 in the premaxillaries : no teeth on the vomer or tongue, but fine ones on the 

 palatines. Fins — the dorsal commences above the anterior border of the opercle, 

 and is continued, but in greatly-decreasing height, to within a moderate distance 

 of the caudal extremity. Pectoral short. Ventrals, anal, and caudal absent. 

 Lateral-line — descends behind the pectoral fin until it reaches the lower third of 

 the height of the body. Anus situated at about 1/3 the length of the fish, behind 

 it spiny points commence. Colours — of a beautiful silvery, which exists in a 

 fine and deciduous membrane, that is easily rubbed off. 



It is remarkable that the first reputed record of this fish off the British coast 

 came from Mr. Hoy, who described two fishes under this name in the " Tran- 

 sactions of the Linnean Society." One appears to have been Hegalecus Banhsii, 

 while it is doubtful to what genus the other, taken in 1810, is to be referred unless 

 to Lepidopus, as a caudal fin is alluded to ; also it was nearly 4 feet in length. 

 As Fleming, Yarrell, Jenyns, and White admitted this species solely owing to 

 Hoy's description, it seems-possible that up to the time that Couch first described 

 a British example of Trichiurus lepturus the species had not been recorded as 

 captured in British waters. 



Names. — The hair-tail or silvery hair-tail, blade fish, all of which designations 

 refer to its external shape or colour. 



Habits. — Although generally a shore fish, it is frequently found far out to sea, 

 as already mentioned. The young in the tropics are also sometimes captured at 

 the mouths of rivers. One upwards of 2 feet long was taken in 1876 in St. 

 Germain's river in Cornwall. The most frequent time of the year the hair-tail 

 shows itself is during the winter months. They are said occasionally to leap out 

 of the water into boats. 



As food. — Russell, in his Fishes of Vizagapatam, observes that in his time the 

 European soldiers on the Coromandel coast esteemed these fishes ; and Jerdon 

 remarks that they afford very delicate eating when fresh, though never brought 

 to the table of Europeans at Madras. 



