AN ANNOTATED LIST OF CORNISH FISHES. 25 
Pilchard-nets ; and in some seasons, notably the late summer of 
1899, and the month of October, 1907, several have been seen 
along the coast about the same time. On Aug. 20th, 1902, a 
small specimen measuring 4 ft. 2 in. in length was captured near 
St. Ives, and it has been twice reported from Tintagel. Some of 
the Cornish specimens are very large. In June, 1874, one 
13 ft. long was killed at Scilly. The Basking Shark (Selache 
maxima, Gunn) is a rare visitor from the Mediterranean, notable 
for its great size, Couch’s specimen measuring 31 ft. 8 in. in 
length. One was apparently seen by the crew of an east coast 
Mackerel-boat in May, 1900, some miles south of the Wolf, and 
one was brought into Penzance a few years ago. ‘Three speci- 
mens of the Six-gilled Shark (Notidanus griseus, Gmel.) have 
been taken in the county, the last at Mevagissey in 1873. The 
Picked Dogfish or Spur Dog (Acanthias vulgaris, Risso) is the 
most serious scourge the Cornish fishing industry has to contend 
against. In some years great crowds appear irregularly in the 
waters of the south and west, disturb and destroy the shoals of 
Pilchard and sometimes of Herring and Mackerel, and dash sud- 
denly and recklessly on the fish just as they are entering the net, 
and not only ravenously devour every single specimen but in 
their savage onslaught often destroy the net as well. So abundant 
are they in places that the boats are often compelled to abandon 
the infested grounds altogether for a time. Occasionally the 
‘“‘dogs”’ appear in incredible numbers, and are so widespread 
that the nets are destroyed to an alarming extent, and the con- 
tinuance of the Mackerel, Pilchard, and Herring fishery under 
such conditions would be altogether impossible. In the early 
part of last autumn a steam-drifter shot a boulter, with two thou- 
asnd hooks, eight miles south-west of the Lizard. The captain 
says that when the line was drawn there was a Dogfish on every 
hook, and in some cases three or four savagely clinging to a cap- 
tured ‘‘ dog,” and in others only the head and gills were left on 
the hook (Pezzack). All along the Channel from the Eddystone 
to the Longships, and off Pendean and St. Ives, the shoals 
last autumn were numerous and dense. On the morning of 
November 15th the nets of two fishing-smacks in Whitsand Bay, 
W.N.W. of the Eddystone, suddenly became alive with Dogfish, 
tearing and rending the meshes in all directions. The efforts to 
