Fishes. 1415 



I have supposed that the scad takes up its autumnal quarters to the 

 south of the great mackerel schulls, the borders of each intermingling. 

 They pass up the channel during the spring in the deep water, feed- 

 ing at the bottom ; but as summer advances, they approach the 

 shores and swim high. At this time they are abundantly caught 

 both by the mackerel nets and by the hook -line. They are brought 

 to the market at Penzance, but are never purchased except by the 

 poor. The fishermen have them split and dry-salted for their 

 families, and for sale ; and during the winter they are to be purchased 

 salted at Penzance. 



The schulls of this fish come into Mount's Bay sometimes in im- 

 mense masses, and 20,000 have been taken in a single net at one time. 

 At this time, when they are meshed in mackerel drift-nets, it is always 

 on their eastern sides, showing that the direction of the fish is to the 

 west. In October and November they disappear in the western 

 waters. The young remain in the bays till the spring. It spawns 

 about July and August, and they feed on living food, especially the 

 sand launce, in pursuit of which they sometimes thrust each other on 

 shore on the beach near Marazion. 



Black Fish, Centrolophus pompilus. Two specimens of this rare 

 fish have been taken in Mount's Bay, one of which is now in the Mu- 

 seum of the Natural History Society of Penzance. It has been taken 

 at Love, one specimen by the Rev. Mr. Iago the correspondent 

 of Ray, and two by Mr. C. Jackson. There are now six specimens 

 on record, as having been caught in Cornwall, and with the exception 

 of Mr. Iago's, all were taken in the mackerel seine net. From this we 

 may suppose that it migrates about the summer into shallow water. 

 It is a remarkably powerful fish. 



Dory, Zeus Faber. This is a too well-known fish, to require any 

 more than a passing notice. It is common, and may be found in our 

 market daily during the fishing season : it wanders very much, or ra- 

 ther is fond of partial migration from rough ground in deep water, to 

 sandy bays and shallow water. In the depth of winter it retires to the 

 deep water, and returns in excellent condition in the spring : it feeds 

 on small fish, such as the pilchard, small pollack, cuttles, &c. There 

 is one habit, which I have never found even alluded to by authors, but 

 which is well-known to the hook-and-line fishermen. The dory will 

 frequently retire to the rough ground or make a slight depression in 

 the sand : thus half hidden the tendrils of the dorsal-fin are allowed 

 to float about like so many worms, to the temptation of all passers ; 

 when a small fish, cuttle, or in fact anything has laid hold of any one 



