THE WHITEBAIT IN DEVONSHIRK. 79 



to, for the little victims spring continually above the surface in futile attempts 

 to escape from their active and insatiable enemies. The whole of the specimens 

 examined by Mr. Pulman contained numbers of these little Crustacea, more 

 or less digested, so that the nature of the Whitebait's prey is placed beyond 

 a doubt. The little fish itself is known, on similar evidence, to become the 

 prey of the Bass and other larger species which inhabit this romantic stream.** 

 Bushels upon bushels of the Whitebait are hauled ashore, during the fishing- 

 season, in the Salmon-nets, and are left, with wasteful indifierence, to rot 

 upon the banks. A gentleman last summer ventured upon the experiment of 

 cooking a few, by way of sample, and he pronounces them to be in every 

 way identical — equally delicious as a piscatory morceau — with the far-famed 

 Greenwich luxury. 



Whether the fish remain in the river during the whole year, or otherwise, 

 has not been ascertained; but they have been observed in March and ia 

 every succeeding month till the end of November, and the fishermen do not 

 remember their absence from the Salmon-nets at whatever season those nets 

 might have been used — a fact which, if it does not settle the question of 

 time, (and of course I do not advance it with that intention,) at least 

 speaks plainly as to the sort of mesh employed on the Dart in the capture 

 of Salmon, and thus adds another instance to those which are constantly 

 occurring of the short-sighted folly which, by using nets sufficiently slnall 

 to capture the Salmon fry along with the parent fish, is everywhere dooming 

 to positive extinction the princely race of Sahno. 



The specimens of Whitebait from the Dart which have fallen under my 

 notice appear to answer, in every particular, to the description of Clupea alba 

 by Yarrell and other writers. Specimens have also been submitted to the 

 editor of this magazine, and he has unequivocally set the seal of corroboration 

 to the opinions on the subject which had previously been entertained, in all 

 humility, by my relation and myself. 



G. P. R. Pulman, CrewJcerne. 



If there was any doubt before as to the Clupea alba being in the Dart, 

 there can be none now, for I have carefully dissected two of my specimens, 

 and the vertebrae decide it. The only other of Clupea genus which has a 

 serrated abdominal line is Clupea Sprattus, according to Yarrell, which has 

 only forty-eight vertebrae, whilst of the two specimens I examined I counted 

 in one fifty-four and in the other fifty-five. Yarrell says fifty-six; but, from 

 the length of time mine have been kept, I may have mistaken one or two, 

 and without the aid of a good microscope. 



S. Hannaford, Jun., Totnes. 



* The number of species of fish produced in the Dai't is very considerable; even the Sturgeon 

 has been captured in its waters. 



