﻿222 
  

  

  THE 
  VEETEBEATE 
  FAUNA 
  OF 
  "DEE." 
  

  

  taken 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  since 
  in 
  the 
  Firth 
  of 
  Forth, 
  and 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  

   the 
  College 
  Museum 
  of 
  Edinburgh." 
  (Parnell.) 
  

  

  One 
  was 
  cast 
  dead 
  upon 
  the 
  sands 
  of 
  Aberdeen 
  Bay, 
  8th 
  

   December, 
  1870 
  — 
  length, 
  five 
  feet. 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  in 
  Marischal 
  

   College 
  Museum. 
  

  

  Family 
  TRICHIURID.E, 
  Giinther. 
  

  

  Genus 
  TRICHIURUS, 
  Linnaus. 
  

  

  Trichiurus 
  lepturus, 
  Linn. 
  "Silver 
  Hair-tail." 
  

   " 
  Blade 
  Fish." 
  

  

  "Two 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  fish 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  dead 
  and 
  

   cast 
  ashore 
  in 
  the 
  Moray 
  Firth, 
  and 
  examined 
  by 
  Mr. 
  James 
  

   Hoy. 
  The 
  first, 
  on 
  the 
  2nd 
  November, 
  1810, 
  after 
  a 
  high 
  

  

  wind 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  was 
  found 
  at 
  Portgordon 
  

  

  Upon 
  the 
  12th 
  November, 
  1821, 
  another 
  individual 
  was 
  found 
  

   upon 
  the 
  beach, 
  nearly 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  place." 
  (Fleming.) 
  

  

  From 
  Hoy's 
  description, 
  quoted 
  by 
  Fleming, 
  it 
  seems 
  

   doubtful 
  if 
  the 
  fishes 
  described 
  were 
  really 
  Trichiurus; 
  and, 
  

   indeed, 
  Dr. 
  Day, 
  in 
  his 
  work, 
  while 
  referring 
  to 
  Hoy's 
  

   example, 
  says 
  : 
  " 
  One 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  Begalecus 
  banksii, 
  

   while 
  it 
  is 
  doubtful 
  to 
  what 
  genus 
  the 
  other, 
  taken 
  in 
  1810, 
  

   is 
  to 
  be 
  referred, 
  unless 
  to 
  Lepidopus, 
  as 
  a 
  caudal 
  fin 
  is 
  

   alluded 
  to." 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  New 
  History 
  of 
  Aberdeenshire, 
  vol. 
  i., 
  p. 
  186, 
  while 
  

   speaking 
  of 
  the 
  parish 
  of 
  Aberdour 
  and 
  the 
  fishes 
  along 
  its 
  

   coast, 
  Trichiurus 
  lepturus 
  finds 
  a 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  list, 
  but 
  no 
  

   authority 
  is 
  given. 
  

  

  "A 
  very 
  fine 
  specimen 
  of 
  this 
  fish, 
  which 
  is 
  rare 
  in 
  the 
  

   British 
  seas, 
  and 
  especially 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland, 
  was 
  

   found 
  in 
  the 
  Firth 
  here 
  in 
  April, 
  1876. 
  Although 
  the 
  head 
  

   and 
  tail 
  were 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  injured, 
  it 
  measured 
  over 
  twelve 
  

   feet 
  in 
  length." 
  (Edward.) 
  

  

  Here, 
  again, 
  there 
  is 
  room 
  for 
  considerable 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  

   identity 
  of 
  the 
  specimen 
  referred 
  to, 
  and 
  it 
  would 
  seem 
  that 
  

   no 
  appearance 
  along 
  the 
  east 
  coast 
  of 
  Scotland 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  

   made 
  by 
  T. 
  lepturus. 
  

  

  