OF CORNWALL. 267 
eel, the Anguilla libera of J ago (Ray, page 166) which has a 
milder tafte, and fewer little bones than the conger. 
Our launces, or fand-eels, are extremely good; they lye about 
fix inches deep in the fands when the tide is out, but this feems 
only their place of retirement to wait the next tide ; when that tide 
returns and covers them, they expatiate again in the waters : they 
are fometimes taken among the pilchards, as Mr. Jago informs us, 
Ray, page 165, ib. giving the icon of one fifteen inches and a half 
long, with one belly-fin, which Mr. Ray’s wanted 0 . This fifh is 
alfo found in the fiomachs of porpefles, but whether from their 
rooting them up out of the fand, as Mr. Ray (Creat. page 140) 
obferves, or nay ant, can fcarce be determined. 
We have a kind of fea-adder which I find not at prefent well de- 
fcribed : It feems a fpecies of the acus, or needle-fiSh, but very dif- 
ferent from the fea-adder (as the Cornifh called it) brought to Mr. 
Ray p ; his was like a worm ( Ophidian lumbriciforme ), no more 
than five inches and a half long, of the bignefs of a goofe-quill, 
ending in a /harp finlefs point : this was fixteen inches and one eighth 
long, had a back and tail-fin, the proportions as in this figure, Plate 
xxvi. Fig. xii. the fcales fhaped like thofeof a land-adder : its paunch, 
being opened, fome hundreds of young fry (like little eels) put into 
water, foon moved to and fro g ; it had a Semicircular f ulcus on the back. 
Plate xxvi. Fig. vi. is the fun-fifh taken at Penzance in May 
1743 r . It was three inches thick at the back, at the belly only 
three quarters of an inch ; the tail cartilaginous, pellucid ; the colour 
dapple, Spotted darker on the back ; the belly Silver, pearl-coloured, 
with Streaks or fillets half an inch wide, confifting of two lifts of 
dark, between which the middle lift was pearl fpotted with black : 
thefe Streaks begin under the eye, and continue at equal distances 
to the pe6toral-fin; fmooth without fcales. This fifh was but 
fmall, as may be obferved by the fcale annexed ; but they are fome- 
times extremely larger. In the year 1734 s , there was one taken 
at Plymouth of above five hundred pounds weight ; and in Ireland 
they are fometimes taken twenty-five feet long, and proportionably 
thick There is a Shorter fort of this fiSh (Willughby, Tab. 1. 
page 29) which is defcribed by Ray, (Synopf. page 51) who met 
with it at Penzance : I have added the icon of it from Jago, adap- 
ted to the general fcale, Plate xxvi. Fig. vi. It is the Orthrago - 
rifcos Jive Luna Rondeletii , page 424, the Mola Salviani Raii , 
page 51, and the OJlracion quartus of Artedi, page 83. This fiSh 
• See ibid, page 38. longo, corpore figuris variis ornato of Artedi, N% 
p Ibid, page 47. 23, page 86. 
q Qu. an Acus 2 da fpecies Rondel. Willughby, s Philof. Tranf. 1742. 
Tab. x. 25, Fig. vi. t Hift. of Waterford, page 271. 
r This is the Oftracion oblongus, glaber, capite 
IS 
