FISHES NEW TO OR RARE IN THE FIRTH OF FORTH 25 



My specimen when fresh-caught was of a chocolate brown 

 colour, and not nearly so distinctly barred on the sides as the 

 example figured in Day's " British and Irish Fishes." 



LUMPENUS LAMPETRIFORMIS ( 



This is another species added to the British fauna since 

 the publication of the late Dr. Day's standard work on the 

 " British and Irish Fishes." It was, however, first recorded 

 for our seas by that ichthyologist in the ' " Proceedings of 

 the Zoological Society" for 1884 (pp. 445-446, Plate XII.) 

 In May of that year a specimen was captured in a trawl I 5 

 miles off St. Abb's Head, in 40 fathoms of water, and was 

 forwarded to Dr. Day by Professor M'Intosh of St. Andrews. 



Since then numerous examples have been taken in the 

 deep waters of the Moray Firth, as recorded by Mr. Sim. 



In 1888 Mr. Scott obtained specimens in the stomachs 

 of Cod trawled in the Firth of Forth ; but these being in a 

 more or less mutilated condition, he hesitated to ascribe them 

 to this species. On the I4th of May 1889 he was able to 

 add this species to the fauna of the Forth ; for on that date 

 he captured eight specimens in the shrimp-net when trawling 

 a few miles east of the island of Inchkeith, and several 

 others were taken by him just outside May Island a day or 

 two afterwards. 



In 1889 Dr. Wemyss Fulton recorded (" Report of the 

 Fishery Board for Scotland," 1889, Part iii. p. 357) more than 

 300 specimens of this fish captured in the trawl in the Firth 

 during the year 1889, as many as 135 having been taken 

 at one haul. He remarks that no doubt a migration of this 

 fish to the mouth of the Firth where most of the specimens 

 were captured had taken place. One specimen was taken 

 in October, but the chief hauls were made in March, April, 

 and May. 



Mr. Scott sends me two fine specimens, respectively 1 1.5 

 and 13.5 inches in length, captured a little to east of the 

 Bass Rock. 



This Blennioid now appears to have become established in 

 the Firth of Forth, has a somewhat wide range in its waters, 

 and is not very uncommon, especially around May Island. 



