Page:VCH Cornwall 1.djvu/355

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FISHES Largely caught with seines at St. Ives for use as bait. 133. Garfish. Be/one vu/garis, Flem. A few specimens are usually taken with every catch of mackerel. At Newlyn I found in their stomachs copepods and sand- eels, and I have suggested that the chief function of the long snout may be to probe the sand in pursuit of the latter. 134. Saury Pike or Skipper. Scombresox saurus, El. Schn. Large shoals stated by Mr. Dunn to appear annually at Mevagissey in the autumn pil- chard season. He considers them to be con- stantly at war with the pilchards, but it is diffi- cult to see for what reason they should attack the latter. When skippers and pilchards were enclosed together in a seine, thousands of the pilchards had their eyes knocked out, or their heads or bodies transfixed by the beaks of the skippers. I 3S- Greater Flying-fish. Exoccetus vo/itans, Linn. R. Couch stated that these fish were not rare in Mount's Bay, and that in 1845 he saw many start out of the water. This however does not amount to identification, and the only authenticated specimen men- tioned by Day is one found on the beach at Helford river and given to J. Couch. HEMIBRANCHII

    • 136. Three-spined Stickleback. Gastros-

teus acu/eatus, Linn. The variety trachurus, which is marine or estuarine, occurs in Cornwall. The variety spinulosus, which has four spines, is al- so common, and the smooth-tailed form, G. gymnurus, probably equally so. 177. Fifteen-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus

T

spinacma, L,mn. Common in the estuaries. LOPHOBRANCHII 138. Broad-nosed Pipe-fish. Siphonostoma typhie, Linn. Common in Zostera beds, where it is con- cealed by its protective resemblance to a frond of the weed. 139. Greater Pipe-fish. Syngnathus acus t Linn. Common, chiefly among Fucus. 140. Syngnathus rostellatus, Nilss. This is a species similar to 5. acus but of smaller size, and has until lately been con- founded with it. For the distinctions between the two see Journ. M.B.A. v. 175. It has been obtained from Cawsand Bay, and is pro- bably common all along the coast. 141. Snake Pipe-fish. Nerophis #quoreus, Linn. Common. 142. Straight-nosed Pipe-fish. Nerophis ophidian. Linn. Common. 143. Worm Pipe-fish. Nerophis lumbrici- formis, Yarr. Common under stones between tide marks. OSTARIOPHYSI

  • I44- Carp. Cyprinus carpio, Linn.

Occurs in ponds.

  • I45- Gold-fish. Cyprinus carassius, Linn.,

var. auratus. In ornamental ponds.

  • I46. Gudgeon. Gobio fluv iati/is, Flem.

Said by J. Couch to have been introduced and to be thriving in some ponds near Pen- zance, but Mr. Cornish, in the Cornish Fauna, ed. 2, said he did not know of it.

  • I47. Dace. Leuciscus dobula, Linn.

Common in the Tamar and its tributaries (Cornish Fauna}.

  • I48. Minnow. Leuciscus phoxinus, Linn.

Common in many of the rivers, but not in all (Couch).

  • I49- Tench. Tinea vulgaris, Cuv.

Lives in ponds at Trengwainton near Penzance, where they were placed by Sir Rose Price (J. Couch). A common pond fish in Cornwall (Cornish).

  • I5O. Loach. Nemachilus barbatulus. Linn.

Common in some rivers. MALACOPTERYGII

    • I5I. Salmon. Salmo salar, Linn.

Chiefly caught in the Fowey river, the Camel and the Tamar.

    • I52. Peal. Salmo trutta. Linn., var. cam-

bricus, Donovan. Taken in the same rivers as the salmon, and occasionally in drift or moored nets off the coast. 153. Trout. Salmo fario, Linn. The trout of Cornwall, at least in the small streams, belong to the variety S. cor- 303