fiANKS'S OARFISIl. 
editions of his “History of British Fishes;” but I agree with 
Dr. J. E. Gray, in believing that the supposed date is a mistake. 
The inscription on it says that the weight of the fish was forty 
pounds, but it departs more than any other figure from the 
most essential characters of other figures and of Nature. Thus 
the lengthened rays on the top of the head are thrown aside, 
or transferred to the ventral fins, which are made to possess 
four instead of two. The jaws are unnaturally drawn out, as 
in Mr. Chirgwin’s drawing, and a depression of the outline is 
represented behind the head. The added caudal fin is also 
represented, although with some difference, and the figure on 
the whole is so conducted as to shew that the imagination of 
the draftsman has had a greater influence on the work than the 
observance of Nature. 
Notwithstanding Mr. Chirgwin’s opinion to the contrary, there 
cannot be a doubt that the drawing in the possession of Sir 
Joseph Banks was carefully formed from the fish itself. It 
especially represents the natural shape of the jaws and front of 
the head. By an outline of the latter it will be seen that the 
elevated rays of the front of the dorsal fin or plume is in some 
degree more correctly represented than in the other drawing, 
but they do not possess the wide-spread extremities which are 
shewn in Mr. Chirwin’s figure; and as experience in other 
instances shews them to he brittle, they may have been broken 
off by frequent handling. 
It is a pleasure to be able to transfer our notice from these, 
on the whole imperfect or erroneous materials, to the more 
authentic account of a recent example which is given by- 
Mr. Hancock and Dr. Embleton, and which, as we shall presently 
see, has also come under our own examination. The history of 
the capture of this specimen is thus given: — “On the 26th. of 
March, 1849, a fine specimen of a species of Gymnetrus, or 
Ribbonfish, was captured by Bartholomew Taylor and his two 
sons, the crew of a fishing-coble belonging to Cullercoats. It 
was found at about six miles from shore, and in from twenty 
to thirty fathoms water. The men having started from their 
fishing-ground to return homewards, observed at a little distance 
what appeared to be broken water; and on coming near the 
spot they perceived a large fish lying on its side near the 
surface. The fish as they drew near to it righted itself in llie 
