266 
NATURAL HISTORY 
Pilot Fish, (PI. 46.) The body is long and banded, 
wifh four loose spines on the back; the head compressed, 
rounded off in front, without scales as far as the gills. 
The mouth is small; the jaws are of an equal length, 
and furnished with small teeth; the palate has a curved 
row of similar teeth in front, and the tongue has teeth 
all along; it is short, fleshy, and hardly moveable. The 
nostrils are double, nearer the muzzle than the eyes. 
The lateral line is curved first upwards and then down- 
wards, and is lost at the end of the tail; which is raised 
similar to many of the mackerel kind. 
This species is found in the Mediterranean, Southern 
Ocean, East Indies, and at the Cape of Good Hope. It 
grows to a foot and a half in length, and is well tasted. 
It derives its names irom being commonly seen with the 
shark, to whom it appears to point out its prey. 
Mackerel. ( Scomber . PI. 46.) The common macke- 
rel has a thick, round, fleshy body, but tapering towards 
the tail, which is bifarcated. Its body is of a very ele- 
gant form, and beautifully variegated with the brighest 
hues of blue, green, ai\d a silvery whiteness. Death in 
some measure impairs the colours, but it by no means 
obliterates them. Several varieties of this fish inhabit 
the ocean: they belong to the voracious class, and some 
of them grow to a very great size. As they are found 
in the German ocean, the Baltic and Mediterranean, it 
is not surprising that the ancient naturalists were ac- 
quainted with them. Subsequent naturalists ha\ T e reck- 
oned upwards of thirty varieties, but of these, only three 
are found upon our coasts; these are the common mack- 
erel, the bastard or horse mackerel, and the ‘thunny. 
TMs fish emits a phosphoric light when fresh from the 
sea: it soon dies when taken out of the water, and even 
in the water, if it advance with two much impetuosity 
against the net. It is caught with that instrument, or 
with a hook baited with small herrings and pieces of 
other kinds of fish or flesh. In some places it is taken 
by lines from boats, as during a fresh gale of wind it 
readily seizes a bait: it is necessary that the boat should 
be in motion, in order to drag the bai^t along near the sur~ 
