206 ANNALS OF SCOTTISH NATURAL HISTORY 



In the Report of the Committee on Marine Zoology, presented to 

 the Royal Physical Society on the yth of May 1862, it is stated 

 that " in the month of February large numbers of the sea- 

 bream were taken in the Firth" ("Proc. Roy. Phys. Soc. Edin.," 

 vol. ii. p. 445)- 



During the eleven years (1886-1897) that the monthly trawling 

 experiments were carried out in all parts of the Firth by the Scottish 

 Fishery Board, and known as the " Garland " observations, only one 

 example of this fish was obtained, namely, a mature specimen in 

 September 1894. 



PAGELLUS ERYTHRINUS (Linn<zus\ 



PARNELL, pp. 203-204. " In the Firth of Forth I have seen it once, 

 where a fine specimen, 19 inches in length, was captured in a 

 salmon-net near Musselburgh" (p. 204). 1 



The only additional information regarding the occurrence of the 

 Spanish Bream is afforded by the statement contained in Yarrell's 

 "British Fishes" (2nd edition, vol. i. p. 121, 1841; 3rd edition, 

 vol. ii. p. 145, 1859), that the author received two specimens from 

 Dr. Parnell, namely, one from Devonshire and one captured near 

 Musselburgh (as above stated), "where a second specimen was also 

 taken." 



I think it - is possible that Yarrell may have confounded 

 Parnell's statements regarding the occurrences of Pagellus acarne 

 ( = P. oivem, Giinth.) and P. erythrimis at Musselburgh. Parnell 

 tells us that a second example of fas former species was obtained at 

 that place. 



TRIGLA HIRUNDO, Linnceus. 



PARNELL, pp. 176-178. " In the Firth of Forth it is very rare, and 

 the only instance I am aware of its capture in the estuary was 

 during the month of August, near Queensferry, where it was 

 found in a pool of water left by the receding tide ; occasionally 

 it is taken beyond the Isle of May" (pp. 177-178). 



I am only able to add one other satisfactory occurrence of this 

 rare wanderer to the waters of the Firth, namely, an example, 12 

 inches long, taken in the trawl of the " Garland " at Station 5 on the 

 1 9th of March 1891 ("Rep. Fish. Board Scot.," 1891, part iii. p. 



S3)- 



In the "Scotsman" for 25th June 1887, it is recorded that a 



" Flying- Fish," about 22 inches long, weighing 4 Ibs., and with 

 " wings " 8 inches long and as many broad, was captured in the 

 salmon-nets at Belhaven, presumably on the previous day. I have 



1 This specimen is now in the British Museum collection (Giinther, "Cat. 

 Fishes," vol. i. p. 437). 



