AN ANNOTATED LIST OF CORNISH FISHES. 421 



its numbers. Up to about thirty years ago, he says, large shoals 

 were of frequent occurrence in the Bristol Channel, and it was 

 often caught by lines hanging over the stern of passing ships. 

 Such shoals are occasionally reported still. An enormous one 

 was seen off the Wolf in July, 1900, and another about ten miles 

 south of the Lizard in June, 1902. One was seen about twenty 

 miles north-west of Pendean in 1901, and another a little further 

 to the north in 1905. The Piper (Trigla lyra, L.) varies greatly 

 in number, but is at times fairly common, though usually 

 scarce in winter. It was plentiful, however, some miles south of 

 the Dodman in December, 1903. Cornish considered it a scarce 

 fish in the west of the county, but steam trawlers in some years 

 find it moderately common there. The Tub or Sapphirine Gur- 

 nard (Trigla hirundo, L.) is usually more plentiful than the 

 Piper in the trawling-grounds of the south and west, and is 

 occasionally taken with bait on the north coast. The Streaked 

 Gurnard (Trigla lineata, Gmel.) was formerly considered very 

 scarce, but off the south coast it is now of regular occurrence, 

 and small catches of a dozen up to a hundred or more are 

 brought in by Newlyn boats from the " Gurnard " grounds. 

 Similar quantities are occasionally noticed among the catches at 

 Gorran and Mevagissey, and it is a well-known fish at Polperro. 

 The writer obtained three along with Red and Grey Gurnard 

 with a beam-trawl in the Silver Pits, Gerrans Bay, in July, 1902, 

 and seven a few days later on the " Steam trawlers' Ground," 

 Falmouth Bay. Bed Gurnard, or Elleck (Trigla cuculus, L.), is 

 common at all seasons on the trawling-grounds round the coast. 

 It is very largely used for Crab-pot bait, especially at St. Ives. 

 The Lanthorne Gurnard (Trigla obscura, L.) was obtained nearly 

 sixty years ago at Falmouth and Helford, but has not been 

 recorded since. The Pogge, or Armed Bullhead (Agoiius cata- 

 phractus, L.), was well-known to Couch as a Cornish fish, but has 

 apparently become very rare since, as it was never seen by 

 Matthias Dunn or by Cornish. In July, 1897, Holt obtained a 

 specimen from the mouth of the Lynher River ; and in August, 

 1902, two were dredged in the mouth of Helford River. The 

 Armed Gurnard (Peristethus cataphractus, Gmel.) has not been 

 recorded since the time of Couch. 



The Adult Lumpsucker (Cyclopterus lumpus, L.) is occasion- 



