THE SCARCER FISHES OF THE ABERDEEN MARKET 



63 



numbers are too few in all to let us speak of this as a definite 

 season of local maximum. 



It would seem, but we can scarcely call it certain, that 

 the captures between June and November lie, on the whole, 

 farther out from the coast than do those from about 

 December to May. 



As to the English records, scattered as they are, they 

 show (as we have already said) a tendency to cluster round 

 about the river-mouths. The Severn is a well-known haunt 

 of the Sturgeon, and it would in all probability breed there 

 if protected ; "all our records for that river are for April and 

 May. The Exe, the Mersey, the Solway, and, most of all, 

 the rivers of the eastern counties from the Thames to the 

 Ouse, are also regions where the Sturgeon has been often 

 captured. 



V. The Spanish Bream {Pagellus sp.). 



There has always been some difficulty and confusion 

 in regard to the identification of the Sea-breams. The 

 Common Sea-bream, P. ceutrodontus, is well known to the 

 fishermen and on the market ; but " Spanish Bream " has no 

 very certain meaning. Most of the specimens so called 

 belong, I believe, to P. erytJirinns, but there may be specimens 

 among them of P. bogaraveo and possibly of others also. 

 But whether our records belong to a single species, or to 

 a group of allied species, they are still worth notice, because 

 they indicate a very well-marked seasonal distribution on 

 our coasts. 



The following are our Aberdeen records : 



Locality. 



Date. 



16 m. N. by E. from Rattrayhead 



160 m. N.E. \ E. from Buchanness 



15 m. S.E. of Aberdeen . 



45 in. E. by N. from Wick 



II m. N.E. from Foula . 



Between Flannan Isles and Butt of Lew 



180 m. E. by S. of Aberdeen 



175-180 m. E. by N. f N. of Abeideen 



45 m. E.N.E. of Aberdeen 



Locality unrecorded 



4 m. E. by N. of Aberdeen 



5 m. H..S.E. from Todhead 

 5 m. E.N.E. of Aberdeen 



