444 
VERTEBEATA. 
THE SCAD. 
THE EUROPEAN BLACK-FISH. 
they have advanced thus far, they are held suspended in the net, without the power of escap- 
ing, either by retracing their course or 
W!mk 
pressing the thick part of their bodies 
through the obstacle. In the morning 
the nets are hauled in, and the fish de- 
tached from them, and in this manner 
vast quantities are taken. The mackerel 
is also captured by surrounding the 
shoals with a large deep net or seine, 
which is afterward closed at the bottom, 
or hauled to the shore ; and a considerable 
number are taken with the hook and line. 
It is a voracious fish, feeding principally on 
small fish and the fry of larger species. 
The American Spring Mackerel, S. 
vernalis of Mitchill, is probably the same 
species as the precediug. The number 
of this taken in our waters is immense ; 
on the coasts of Massachusetts two hun- 
dred vessels are sometimes engaged in the mackerel fisheries, and two hundred and fifty thou- 
sand barrels are taken. 
The Fall Mackerel, S. grex, is sometimes very abundant in our seas; some authors regard 
it as the young of the preceding. 
The Spanish-Mackerel, S. coUas, 
is greatly esteemed for tbe table ; it 
is smaller than the spring mackerel; 
common in Europe ; the same, or a 
very similar species, is found, though 
not abundantly, on our coasts. 
Genus THYNNUS: Tliynnus.— 
This includes the Common Tunny of 
Europe, T. vulgaris, a large species, 
four to twenty feet long, and some- 
times weighing a thousand pounds. 
It is found in the European seas, 
but is most common in the Mediter- 
ranean, where it is caught in large 
numbers. The nets used are very 
large and strong, and one of them 
costs six thousand dollars. This fish 
has been celebrated for the table since 
the time of Aristotle. It is frequently taken on our coasts, and is not uncommon in the markets 
of our principal northern cities. 
The BoNiTO, or Striped-bellied Tunny, 
T. 2oelamys, resembles the preceding in 
form, but is seldom more than thirty inches 
long. It is extensively distributed, being- 
most common in the tropical seas, but is 
still met with on the coasts of Europe 
and North America. It is said to rival 
the dorado in its perpetual chase of the 
flying-fish. There are one or two other 
TEE COMMON MACKEREL. 
THE TUNNY. 
THE BONITO. 
species allied to the Tunny, which are also sometimes called Bonito. 
