254 
BANKfl’ti OAUFTSH. 
which is the date inscribed on the drawing in the possession 
of the late William Rashleigh, Esq., E.R.S., etc., and which 
furnished the original of Mr. Yarrell’s figure in the first and 
second editions of his “History of British Fishes.” 
But the testimonies here given appear to point to the existence 
of at least a second Cornish specimen; while on the other hand 
we remark that at the request of Baron Cuvier, Mrs. Lee was 
led to make search through the manuscripts and drawings which 
formerly belonged to Sir Joseph Banks, and which at this time 
are in the library of the British Museum; and the result was, 
that no other drawing of a Gymnetrus coxrld be found besides 
a figure of that one which was left by the tide at Newlyn, in 
February, 1778. Subsequently to this, on the occasion of the 
exhibition in London of the example caught at Cullercoats, and 
presently to be described, I myself made a search among the 
papers and drawings of Sir Joseph Banks, with the aid of Robert 
Brown, Esq., the distinguished botanist; and the result was the 
same as Mrs. JiCe had represented it. A tracing was made at 
this time of the figure above referred to, and which is bound 
up with a copy of the quarto edition of Pennant’s “Natural 
History.” To this figure we shall again make particular reference; 
but I feel little hesitation in supposing that in the accounts of 
a second Cornish specimen by Shaw and Russel, their informa- 
tion or memory had confounded together the fish obtained at 
Newlyn, in 1788, with one which had been found by rvomen 
on the 18th. of March, 1796, at Filey Bay, in Yorkshire. In 
the library of Sir Joseph Banks, there is a letter which gives 
an account of this last-mentioned example, which measured 
thirteen feet in length, and one foot in depth, its thickness 
three inches, and the length of the head seven inches. Along 
its under side behind there were rows of small tubercles of a 
silvery whiteness. The dorsal fin began near the head, and 
reached to the extremity of the body, and was of a red colour; 
the number of rays two hundred and ninety-three, those of the 
pectoral fin twelve. The vent was four feet from the snout. 
It does not appear that a likeness of this c.xaniple was taken; 
and it becomes a matter of some interest that as much as may 
be of the particulars which belong to the figxtres of the undouhted 
Cornish example may be cleared up, while there remains a 
possibility of accomplishing it: since it appears that some of 
