AN ANNOTATED LIST OF CORNISH FISHES. 455 



yards away one may fish for hours without a bite. It is occa- 

 sionally taken at night by trawlers on sandy bottoms three or 

 four miles out at sea. The Power Cod or Poor Cod (G. minutus, 

 L.) is plentiful both on the south and on the north. It is often 

 taken in large quantity by trawlers, especially in the spring, and 

 comes to bait readily, but is of little use as food. The Whiting 

 (G. merlangus, L.) is abundant, and, as a rule, in excellent con- 

 dition all round the coast throughout the late autumn and 

 winter. In the autumn it often feeds close inshore on young 

 Pilchards, but promptly retires into deep water when the tem- 

 perature of the water falls. Trawling is often highly profitable, 

 and it comes readily to bait. The Poutassou (G. poutassou, 

 Piisso) is a Mediterranean Cod obtained in the adult state by 

 Couch from Polperro in 1840. Great shoals of young fish 

 appeared at Mevagissey in 1861, 1871, and 188] (Dunn). On 

 May 28th, 1904, the water from Coverack round to the Manacles 

 was literally alive with them, the largest not more than three 

 inches in length. Dunn f. says mature Poutassou are taken now 

 and then by Newlyn boats twenty miles or more south of Scilly. 

 The Coal-fish or Rauning Pollack (G. virens, L.) occurs all round 

 the coast, and is often abundant, especially during winter and 

 spring. It sometimes follows up the Pilchard shoals in large 

 numbers, and is then taken in quantity along with Whiting 

 Pollack. The long-line fishermen at Polperro and elsewhere 

 often capture very fine specimens, but the largest are taken at 

 the Piiinnelstone and round Land's End, though in December, 

 1905, one weighing 46 lb. was landed at Newquay. From its 

 great strength and the violent rush with which it takes the bait, 

 angling for Coal-fish is most exciting sport. In July, 1901, an 

 enormous shoal of small fry appeared between Pendower beach 

 and the Gull Eock at Portscatho, and in September, 1906, there 

 were several thousand young fish from o to 7 in. long in Whit- 

 sand Bay, near the Land's End. Whiting Pollack or Pollack 

 (G. pollachius, L.) is common on rocky ground all round the 

 coast, and in some localities abundant. It is extensively caught 

 by long-line fishermen all the year round, and is the amateur's 

 fish par excellence. Live Sand-eels, rubber bait, and a slice of 

 Mackerel are all very deadly, and the artificial fly is often used. 

 In the west of the county, and on a specially favoured reef, the 



