154 ON THE ICHNEUMON FI.Y. 



fish. He repeatedly attempted to seize it near the tail, and to throw it into 

 the boat, but by violent struggles it escaped from his grasp, and dived out 

 of reach. It did not however remain long under water, and he at last suc- 

 ceeded in getting a firm hold at the gill-opening and threw it into the boat. 

 Having brought it to me, I did not at first recognise the fish, never having 

 seen a specimen before, but after examination I found it to be the Muigre. 

 This is the only instance so far as I know of its occurrence in the Orkney 

 Islands; but Mr. Neill records the capture of one which was sent to him 

 from Zetland in 1819. 



As it is rather a rare fish on the British coast, a short description of it 

 may not be uninteresting. Length, four feet seven inches; girth, two feet 

 ten inches; depth, one foot; length of head, fifteen inches; colour, grayish 

 brown; fins, reddish brown; scales, large, of irregular outline, somewhat ellip- 

 tical, measuring in some instances one inch and a half in length, and an inch 

 in breadth; preoperculum, obscurely serrated. The fin rays were in number, 

 first dorsal, nine, with small spine before it; second dorsal, thirty, with spine 

 before it; pectoral, seventeen; ventral, five; anal, seven; caudal, eighteen. 



It will be observed that these numbers difier somewhat from what are given 

 in Yarrell's and Jenyn's works, more especially as to the dorsal, but I can 

 only say that the rays were carefully and more than once counted by my 

 friend, Mr. R. Heddle and myself. The swimming bladder was two feet long, 

 and six inches in diameter, and was enormously distended with air, which I 

 presume accounts for the fish being unable to remain under the surface, from 

 its body being specifically lighter than the water; but how it had lost the 

 power of modifying the quantity of air according to its necessities, which fishes 

 must possess, it would be perhaps difficult to conjecture. The bladder was 

 fringed all round its edge as shown by Yarrell. 



The fish was not observed to make any sort of noise, either before or after 

 its capture, as related by others. As to its edible qualities, some friends, to 

 whom I had sent portions of it, considered it very good when stewed or 

 grilled. For my own part, having only tried it plain boiled, I should be 

 inclined to pronounce it very indiiFerent food. 



Kirkwall, February Srd., 1852. 



I>0 ICHNEUMONS PIERCE INSECTS IN THE PUPA STATE? 



BY R. MAYSMOR, ESQ. 



In answer to "G" in "The Querist" of November, relative to Ichneumons, 

 perhaps a few quotations from authors upon their general habits may not 

 be uninteresting to some of the readers of "The Naturalist." In speaking 

 of the service of the Ichneumon Flies in staying the encroachments of the 

 Wheat Midge, the Rev. Edwin Sidney, in "Blights of the Wheat," says, 

 "Their peculiar instinct is to lay their eggs in other living insects, mostly 



