Short Communieations : — 



[See, in Vol. V. p. 312., a notice of the occasional occurrence 

 of the Tngla lyra, on the coast of Cornwall.! 



The Streaked Gurnard (Trigla lineata Lin. and Cuv., T. 

 adriatica Fleming)* — - This fish occurs, though rarely, on 

 our coasts. — Id. July 25. [It has been discovered on the 

 coast of Cornwall also. See Vol. V. p. SI 2.] ^^ TlSl 



Opah (Ldmpris guttdtus). ■ — A specimen of this very rare 

 fish was taken in the Clyde, at Helensburgh, several years 

 ago. Unfortunately there was no naturalist on the spot, and 

 it fell into the hands of a bird preserver, who daubed it over 

 with gold and silver leaf. It has since been deposited in the 

 Andersonian Museum along with part of the other animals 

 which I have enumerated. — Id. , - , l > 



Sdlea variegdta has been found at Rothsay, by Mr. 

 Ewing. — la?, J-. I cr iyr i 



Enormous Sturgeo7i. — There was caught in a stake net, 

 near Findhorn, Scotland, on Tuesday, a sturgeon, 8 ft. 6 in. 

 long, 3 ft. in circumference, and weighing 203 lbs. It was 

 immediately packed in ice, and sent by the Brilliant steam- 

 boat to London. (Berrow's Worcester Journal, July 1 8. 1 833.) 



The Leptocephalus Morrisii Pennant, taken at Slapton, near 

 Dartmouth, Devonshire, on April 29. 1833. —Sir, One of our 

 Slapton fishermen brought me, on Monday, the 29th of April, 

 1833, a small fish, to all appearance dead, which he had 

 carried in his pocket wrapped in brown paper for three hours. 

 After I had held it in my hand for about a minute, examining 

 it, symptoms of life appeared, and then the little; animal was 

 placed in a tumbler of salt and water, where it survived its in- 

 carceration in brown paper for several hours. Its appearance 

 was most pleasing, from its semi-transparent and silvery hue, 

 and graceful motions : the prominent eye, with, a pearly pupil 

 and dark blue or black iris, was strikingly beautiful. 



Upon examination, I found my little captive to be, if not 

 an odd fish, at all events a rare one: the Leptocephalus 

 Morris^', or Morris's, so named by Pennant, in the British 

 Zoology, in honour of the discoverer, Mr. Morris. Mr. Pen- 

 nant's figure and description are neither of them so accu- 

 rate as it is to be wished they were ; and therefore I shall 

 endeavour, in this communication, to rectify them. I am no 

 artist, and therefore cannot boast of the finish of my drawing, 

 but I can vouch for its accuracy. (Jig, 64.) 



The Leptocephalus belongs to the Linnaean order A'podes, 

 being destitute of ventral finSc It is, moreover, an osseous 

 fish, with the fins supported by cartilaginous articulations. 

 The gill cover is concealed by the skin, which is protruded 

 forward under the chin, as I have endeavoured to represent 



