50 6 Fry of a Species of ' Hemiramplms. 



scription of my own. One specimen was taken about double 

 the size of those now sent to you. 



If you will be kind enough to add to these observations a 

 few remarks relative to this interesting little fish, and send 

 them to my friend Charlesworth for publication in London's 

 Magazine of Natural History, you will greatly oblige 



Yours, &c, 

 William Yarrell, Esq. W. B. Clarke. 



To the Editor of " Loudon's Magazine of Natural History." 



Dear Sir, I have great pleasure in transferring to your 

 hands, for insertion in the Magazine of Natural History, the 

 letter received from our friend Dr. Clarke of Ipswich. I 

 have had a drawing made from one of the specimens of this 

 interesting little fish, half as large again as the natural size, 

 which, with the remarks that follow, is equally at your 

 disposal. 



Mr. Couch's observations on the single example of a spe- 

 cies of Hemiramphus which occurred to him are as follows : — 

 " I have met with a species which I have never seen described, 

 unless it be the E v sox brasiliensis Linn. Syst. Nat. It was 

 taken by me in the harbour at Polperro, in July, 1818, as it 

 was swimming with agility near the surface of the water. It 

 was about an inch in length, the head somewhat flattened at the 

 top, the upper jaw short and pointed, the inferior jaw much 

 protruded, being at least as long as from the extremity of the 

 upper jaw to the back part of the gill-covers. The mouth 

 opened obliquely downwards ; but that part of the under jaw 

 which protruded beyond the extremity of the upper, passed 

 straight forward in a right line with the top of the head. 

 The body was compressed, lengthened, and resembled that of 

 the garpike (E. Belone). It had one dorsal and one anal fin, 

 placed far behind and opposite to each other. The tail was 

 straight; the colour of the back was a bluish green, with a 

 few spots; the belly silvery." 



This notice, which appeared in the 14th volume of the 

 Linncean Transactions, induced me to insert as a vignette 

 in the History of British Fishes the head of a species of He- 

 miramphus, in order to draw the attention of observers on 

 our coast to the subject; and it is a sincere gratification to 

 me to know that it has had the effect intended. It can 

 scarcely be doubted, from the quantity of fry seen, as well as 

 from their very small size, that the spawn from which they 

 were produced must havebeen deposited on our shores by the 

 parent fish ; and yet, as far as we are aware, these parent fish 



