A history of the fishes of the British Islands . irascible or ferociousthan has been usually believed, and as conscious of powers weshould have scarcely believed it to possess. An example of aMackarel was sent to me from Mevagissey, by the kindness ofMr. Matthias Dunn, already mentioned, which had becomeentangled in the meshes of a drift-net, but which had alreadysuffered from the furious attack of a Garfish. This latter musthave rushed at its victim with all its powers, so as to thrustits projecting jaw through the body of the Mackarel at itsthickest part, which is close above the pectoral fi
A history of the fishes of the British Islands . irascible or ferociousthan has been usually believed, and as conscious of powers weshould have scarcely believed it to possess. An example of aMackarel was sent to me from Mevagissey, by the kindness ofMr. Matthias Dunn, already mentioned, which had becomeentangled in the meshes of a drift-net, but which had alreadysuffered from the furious attack of a Garfish. This latter musthave rushed at its victim with all its powers, so as to thrustits projecting jaw through the body of the Mackarel at itsthickest part, which is close above the pectoral fins, where theupper mandible was broken off close to the head; while thepoint protruded on the other side to the extent of about thefourth of an inch. The lower mandible had been withdrawn*and the wound must have been inflicted a few days beforethe capture of the Mackarel, since the wound itself had notthe appearance of being entirely new. This incident will explainthe fact that the Garfish is sometimes caught with a deficiencyof both the ArPENDix. 423 SCI^NA. In our second volume, Plate LXXVI, there is a representa-tion of this fish, with a description, Avhich were obtained froman example that had faded from what is the usual appearanceof this species when first caught; it is therefore judged moresatisfactory to supply a figure from an example which has beenobtained more recently, together with a description that willbe found more minutely particular than is elsewhere to befound. This fish was taken at Looe, in a Mackarel sean on the10th. of Jvdy, and measured in a straight line fifty-six inches;depth of the body fourteen inches; the head rounded in front,blunt, stout; jaws nearly equal, lips full, with a stout mystache;teeth rather low, scattered, none at the symphysis; tongue largeand free; a thick membranous veil in front above; all withinthe mouth a bright yellow colour. Eyes of moderate size, thebony border above and round them prominent; three nostrilson one side,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, bookpublisher, booksubjectfishes
