416 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



in enormous shoals that made the surface of the water boil like a 

 strong tide (Dunn/.). These shoals specially favoured the Gwineas 

 Rock, near Gorran, the Gull Rock, Portscatho, the Runnelstone, 

 and the Wolf, and appeared occasionally in the sandy bays of the 

 south and east, and at least once on the north coast, namely, at 

 Perranporth about 1864 (Hicks). At Gwineas Rock Matthias 

 Dunn found it impracticable to use a seine on account of the 

 broken nature of the beach, and employed dynamite to kill the 

 fish till stopped by Act of Parliament. By this means as many 

 as six hundred fish, up to 10 and 12 lb. in weight, could 

 be obtained in a morning (Dunn/.).' In recent years vast shoals 

 have been scarce, and till quite lately apparently restricted to 

 the west of the county. During the past three years, however, 

 they have been reported from Coverack, the Bizzies in Gerrans 

 Bay, and the Gwineas Rock, as well as from the Runnelstone, 

 the Wolf, and Land's End. Bass, however, is usually common 

 throughout the summer, and especially in August and Septem- 

 ber, all round the coast, and may be caught in abundance with 

 hand-lines in favoured places like St. Mawes, the Gull Rock, 

 Portscatho, west of the Manacles, and around Newquay ; and 

 with long lines in deeper water. Mullet seiners, too, sometimes 

 catch a small shoal of Bass, or come upon them when feeding 

 where rocks abut on the sand. In stormy weather, both on the 

 north and on the south coast, they often feed in numbers in 

 shallow water close to the land, especially on a lee shore. They 

 are then occasionally taken in a narrow trammel shot between 

 them and the open sea, into which attempts are made to drive 

 them by throwing stones. They are, however, difficult to 

 frighten, and though they may dart away at the splash, return 

 immediately, and swim through and round the centre of dis- 

 turbance. Bass are often taken in the Fowey and Tamar, 

 occasionally in fresh water beyond the reach of the tides. 



The Comber (Serranus cabrilla, Linn.) occurs frequently along 

 the south coast on broken, rocky ground during the summer. 

 It is often common at Polperro (Robinson), at Mevagissey and 

 Gorran, and in July, 1905, was plentiful for a few days near 

 Coverack. Day says it is rare at Penzance, but during the last 

 eight years it has been taken several times to the east of 

 St. Michael's Mount, and occasionally in the Crab-pots at 



