ANDREWS — ON ICHTHYOLOGY. 69 



tion, instead of a caudal fin, being a long hair-like or compressed fila- 

 ment. The only known one on our shores is the species Lepturus, 

 which frequents the Atlantic. It is common on the coasts of Porto 

 Rico, and also on those of Cuba ; but it is not so frequent on the 

 American coasts as in the Torrid Zone. One nearly resembling the 

 American species is T. haumela, an Asiatic species from the coasts of 

 Malabar. 



The three species in the British Museum that have been described 

 by Dr. Gray, in " Zoological Miscellany," are designated T. armatus, T. 

 muticus, and T. intermedins, chiefly distinguished by the forms of the 

 head, operculum, and jaws. They are figured in Griffith's Supple- 

 mentary Addition to Cuvier's Animal Kingdom. Before the numbers 

 that a few months since were cast ashore on the Cornish coast, and 

 others on the coast of Devonshire, and also the specimen obtained by 

 Dr. Adams, 22nd Regiment, at Kinsale, they had been rarely met, and, 

 indeed, in a scientific point of view, not accurately described ; only two, 

 according to Yarrell, having, after gales of wind, been thrown ashore 

 on the British coasts, and those greatly mutilated, insomuch that from 

 their size the true distinctions of the species were not correctly, or with 

 doubt, determined. In the species figured by Yarrell and by Hamil- 

 ton^ in Naturalist's Library, the pectoral fin is shown as pointing 

 downwards ; whereas the true position in T. Lepturus is pointing up- 

 wards, which is the case in all the species, as shown in T, haumela and 

 T. savala. 



The Trichiuri are destitute of ventral fins, having near the anal 

 very minute spines, no visible scales. Until those specimens which 

 were found cast ashore during the past winter on the British and Irish 

 coasts, its claims to British ichthyology were very slender. Besides the 

 Zepidopus, we have other singular allied fish inhabiting deep water, 

 and but seldom, excepting through gales of wind, seen on our shores — 

 such as the Gymnetrus and the red-band fish, Cepola rubescens. The 

 latter has, among the larger fuci, been washed ashore on the coast of 

 Waterford. There can be no doubt that Trichiurus, and others that 

 haunt deep soundings, are by no means uncommon off our coasts ; for it 

 is only when severe gales set in on the coast that those novelties of the 

 deep are noticed. Indeed, I may say that want of scientific knowledge 

 of the several genera and of species have too often been consequent of 

 such occurrences not being made known to us ; and were it not from 

 the observations of such men as Doctors Adams and Busteed, the pre- 

 sence of those at Kinsale and at Brandon Bay would never have been 

 revealed. 



From what could be gleaned, a more than usual abundance of sprats 

 was cast ashore at Kinsale during the month of December last, and 

 among them, apparently in the action of chase, the Trichiurus. Those 

 obtained by Dr. Busteed were about the same time, at distances from 

 each other, stranded in Brandon Bay, county of Kerry, probably en- 

 gaged in similar pursuits ; and I should not be surprised that with the 

 sprats anchovies would have been found. 



