A HISTORY OF DEVONSHIRE 



151. Conger. Conger vulgaris, Cuv. 



Very common, often abundant. Usually 

 taken on long lines baited with pilchard or 

 squid. Small specimens from 18 inches to 

 about 2 J feet long are called straps by the 

 fishermen. 



Specimens are regularly kept alive in the 

 Plymouth Aquarium. The present writer 

 made observations and experiments upon them 

 there in order to study their breeding and 

 life history. Males were found not to exceed 

 2\ feet in length, and several became sexually 

 mature in the aquarium. They could be 

 distinguished from females of the same size 

 by the blunter snout and larger eyes. They 

 lived for about six months without feeding, 

 gradually getting thinner and feebler, till they 

 died. Females also ceased to feed when the 



roes were developing, and lived for about six 

 months in a fasting condition. Then they 

 died with the abdomen much distended by 

 the roes, but the eggs were not quite ripe, 

 and were not spawned. 



A specimen of the larva formerly known 

 as Leptocephalus morrisii was caught on the 

 shore in front of the Plymouth Laboratory in 

 .June, 1895, and is described in the Journ. 

 M.B.A. of that year (iv. 73). 

 152. Muraena helena, Linn. 



A specimen 44*6 inches long was brought 

 to the Plymouth Laboratory in March 1897, 

 with the information that it was trawled off 

 the Eddystone and was just alive when brought 

 on deck. It proved to be a male with ripe 

 testes. The whole body was very soft and 

 flabby {Journ. M.B.A. v. 91). 



GANOIDS 



**I53. Sturgeon. Acipenser sturio, Linn. Occasionally taken on the Devonshire coast, 

 according to Parfitt. 



CHONDROPTERYGIANS 



154. Blue Shark. Carcharias glaucus, lAnn. 

 On the mackerel grounds off the Cornish 

 coast this species is decidedly common, often 

 damaging the drift-nets, but it is seldom seen 

 near the shore. It occurs also off the Devon 

 coast. One 8 feet long was taken off Ply- 

 mouth in 1876 (Gatcombe, Zool. 1877) ^""^ 

 another a little smaller in 1883. 



155' Tope. Galeus vulgaris, Flem. 



Not uncommon on the trawling grounds. 



156. Hammer-head. Zygana malleus, Risso. 



A specimen 1 3 ft. 7 in. long was taken at 

 Ilfracombe in 1865. It was found flounder- 

 ing among the rocks and was secured by 

 means of ropes. 



157. Rough Hound, or Small-spotted Dog- 



fish. ScylHum canicula, Linn. 



Very common. Taken both in the trawl 

 and on long lines. 



158. Nurse Hound, or Large-spotted Dog- 



fish. Scyllium catulus, Cuv. 

 Common, but not so abundant as the last 

 species. Both these species are oviparous, 

 producing rectangular eggs with tendrils at 

 the corners of the shell. In Falmouth Har- 

 bour catulus attaches its eggs to stems of Lam- 

 inaria which are uncovered at low water in 

 spring tides. The eggs of canicula are some- 

 times dredged, attached to growths of Gor- 

 gonia. 



159. Smooth Hound. Mustelus vulgaris, 



MuUer and Henle. 

 Occurs frequently. 



160. Porbeagle. Lamna comubica, Gmel. 

 Two or three taken at Clovelly in 1871, 



and one at Plymouth in 1835. 



l6i. Thrasher. Alopias vulpes, Gmel. 



Recorded at Teignmouth Bay, off the 

 Start, at Dawlish and Plymouth ; specimens 

 from 4 ft. 7 in. to 14 ft. in length. The 

 writer has seen it leap clear above the surface 

 of the sea in the early morning. 



162. Basking Shark. Selache maxima, Gunn. 

 Occasional stragglers occur. Yarrell 



mentions a specimen in Devon. It is com- 

 mon off the west coast of Ireland, where it is 

 regularly hunted. 



163. Picked Dog-fish, or Spur Dog. Acanthias 



vulgaris, Risso. 

 Very common. Often taken in the trawl, 

 on long lines, and sometimes swarms about 

 mackerel nets and pilchard nets in thousands. 

 It is viviparous, 



164. Spinous Shark. Echinorhinus spinosus, 



Gmel. 



Several specimens recorded as captured off 

 the Devon coast, most of them trawled off 

 Brixham and Berry Head. A specimen of 

 the female sex, 6 ft. 6 in. in length, was 



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