OF THE CORNISH PILCHARD FISHERY. 



5 



feed with voracity upon small crustaceous animals, and I have 

 found their stomachs crammed, each with thousands of a 

 minute species of shrimp not larger than a flea." Couch, *^ 

 somewhat more precise, states that "at the end of July the 

 food is supposed to be vegetable in character; the examina- 

 tion of stomachs revealed vegetable matter. In mid-summer 

 crustaceans are largely taken at the surface." l^he same 

 author goes on to say : " On one occasion stomac hs of several 

 were found to contain mackerel midge "; the roe of cod and 

 ling is also given as an article of diet. Day'' describes the 

 food as being similar to that of herring, and probably, in 

 common with Couch, on the strength of his knowledge of 

 methods employed in the French sardine fishery (pecherie de 

 rouge), states that the pilchard voraciously devours " the roe 

 of cod and ling, also bread crumbs." The late Mr. Matthias 

 Dunn, whose observations upon the natural history and habits 

 of the species in Cornish waters afford much valuable informa- 

 tion, gives in one of his papers^^ a more exact account of the 

 food derived from an examination of stomach material. In 

 the case of fish fresumahly arriving from deep water the 

 stomachs were found to contain large numbers of the Copepod 

 Anonialoccra fattersoni and T liysano poda (Niclyphanes 

 couchii). Copepods and Amphipods were stated to be the 

 Atlantic food of the species, whilst zoeas and the " spores of 

 the olive seaweed " were considered by this author to serve 

 largely as the food in inshore waters. A partic uhir instance 

 moreover of a fish feeding upon prey of a large character is 

 also given^^ in the same paper, the author stating that on Sept. 

 3rd, 1889, he examined an example w^hich had in its stomach 

 forty young fish of three distinct species. Easily distinguish- 

 able were the Crystal Gobies, plentiful off the Deadman, and 

 young Launces ; the third species seemed very much like young- 

 pilchards. 



Some comment upon the above observations at this j)()int 



8 Couch, J., Fish of British Isles," vol. iv., p. Sj. 

 ^ Day, " British Fishes," vol. ii., p. 225. 



Dunn, M., Migrations and Habits of the Pilchards," Lectures on 

 Fishes, etc., County Fisheries Exhibition, Truro, 1893, p. 159, etc. 

 11 id., p. 174. 



