86 



A CORNISH FAUNA. 



" I (Mr. Couch.) find what appears to me to be this species in 

 abundance in the Ray fishes (Raia maculata and R. Clavata), 

 caught in from 30 to 50 fathoms of water." 



ASTACID^J. 

 Genus, Homarus. — Edwards. 



"Rostrum, and with a few spines on each side; scale of the 

 outer antennae very small, and like a tooth." First pair of limbs 

 chelate, hands large, ovate compressed ; second and third pair 

 small, chelate ; fourth and fifth simple. 

 Homarus marinus. — Fair. 



Astacus marinus. — Pennant ; Fair. 



Homarus vulgaris — Milne Edwards, Hist, des Crust., t. ii,p. 334; 

 Couch, Cornish Fauna, p. 78. 



"Lobsters are very common among the borders of not very- 

 elevated rocks, from close to the shore to the depth of about 20 

 fathoms. It is certain that they are less abundant at present 

 than about the beginning of the present century ; for whilst now, 

 with a hundred pots, a dozen a day is regarded as tolerable suc- 

 cess, persons now living have caught about a hundred in the 

 same space, and in one instance a hundred and forty seven. One 

 fisherman has taken 640 in a week, where now another has 

 secured only 300 in a season. The reason assigned for this falling 

 off is that the fishery for congers is not followed as formerly, and 

 it is certain that this fish feeds eagerly on them. Perhaps, how- 

 ever, too little is ascribed to the increased demand in the market, 

 and the consequent extension of the fishery, for the number of 

 edible crabs has also diminished within the few years that an 

 advanced price has been obtained for them. On the coast of Scot- 

 land, where it does not appear that fishes likely to destroy them 

 are less abundant than with us, lobsters are in great multitudes, 

 for Sir William Jardine informs us that at Montrose from 60,000 

 to 70,000 are annually sent to London, at the rate of 2jd. for 

 each lobster." 



" Lobsters do not wander much from their accustomed haunts, 

 and hence the discovery of a new station is a fortunate circum- 

 stance for the fisherman ; and each situation is found to impress 

 its own shade of colour on the shell. The same means are employ ed 

 in fishing for lobsters as for crabs ; but whilst the crab prefers bait 



