TUNNY, Tlelinnus v1170218, a fish of the family scomberidce (q.v.), found in the Medi terranean. and in the Atlantic' ocean, hut particularly abundant in the Mediterranean, where the tunny fishery is of great importance. It occasionally, but rarely, occurs on the British coasts. The genus throats is closely allied to samba. (see 111ac1tEnEf.), but has the dorsal fins close together, the detached tinlets mote numerous. The tunny is a very large fish, sometimes 9 ft. in length, and weighing 1000 lbs., or even more. Its form is much thicker than that of the mackerel; its tail so widely forked as to be cres cent-shaped. ills very plentiful near Constantinople, where it appears in shoals. s- me times so crowded that it may even be taken with the hand. The chief tunny 1! :Levies of the present day, however, are on the coasts of Spain, Italy, and Sardinia. The Pile nicians established a tunny fishery at a very early period on the coast of Spain, and the tunny appi ars on Pbenician medals of Cadiz and Cartels. Salted tunny was much esteemed by the Romans, and was called Ea/lam:Wm rardicum. The tunny is gen
erally captured by means of nets arranged in a funnel-like form, the fish entering the wide mouth of the funnel, and being gradually driven to the narrow end, where they arc killed by lances and harpoons. The line of nets is often more than a quarter of a in. long, and casts about .16,CCO.—The AMERICAN Tta.NNy (thynnus sceundualarialii) is found on the coasts of New York, and thence northward to Scotia. It sometimes attains a length of 12 feet. It is nearly black above, silvery on the sides. and white telow. Its flesh is much esteemed. It also yields much oil, which is obtained by boil ing the head and the belly. 'Twenty- gallons of oil are often obtained from a single fish.
To the same genus with the tunny belong the bonito (q.v.) and the albacore or albicore (7. albacornx) which inhabits the West Indian seas, and is esteemed for the table. The name albacore, however, seems to be often given to different species of this family, inhabiting tropical seas, and sometimes to the tunny itself.