72 



are always situated upon one side of the body, and not one on each side, as is the 

 case with all other vertebrated animals. This twist of the cervical vertebrae throws 

 the body on its side ; and as the body is much compressed, it has the appearance 

 of being broad and flat, whereas in reality it is thin and deep. In its action in the 

 water, however, the body is always on the side ; and the one side is like the belly 

 of a common fish in the texture of its skin, and the other side like the back of an 

 ordinary fish in the same respect. From this position of the body, the motions of 

 the spine and caudal fin, in swimming, are up and down, and not right and left, as 

 they are in the majority of fishes. The fins upon the two sides also, which may 

 be considered as dorsal and anal, are similar to each other in size and form, and 

 extend nearly the whole length of the body. The one of these fins is really on 

 the back of the flat fish, and the other on the belly ; but in the position in which 

 the fish swims they are on the sides, as estimated in the greatest dimension across 

 the body. Some of the fishes of this description have the fins on the under side 

 formed into a disc or sucker, and others of them have a sucker upon the head, by 

 means of which they can adhere to rocks, the bottoms of ships, and other solids. 

 The eel family close the list, and though they do not inhabit the extreme depths 

 of the ocean, they are more decidedly ground fishes than any of the others ; and 

 in cold countries they pass the winter buried in the mud, and in a dormant state. 



R. M. 



SCARCITY OF THE WALL SWIFT (Cypselus murarius). 



Mr. Waterton tells me he has not seen a single Swift in his neighbourhood 

 (Walton Hall, near Wakefield) this year, and the Rev. W. T. Bree informs me 

 that it is becoming much more scarce in some of the midland counties than 

 it was formerly. In a letter dated October 31, 1835, Mr. B. observes — " I often 

 hear the remark that ' we have fewer Swallows than usual ;' may not this be 

 owing to their wanton destruction ? The Swifts, more especially, appear to me 

 to be diminishing everywhere, to my no small regret, as they are charming crea- 

 tures to my mind, and I love their harsh scream, perhaps, almost as well as the 

 melody of the Brake Nightingale. I was forcibly struck with the comparative 

 scarcity of these birds during a tour I made last May through various parts of 

 Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Northamptonshire." Mr. Blyth 

 also mentions the Swift having become of much less common occurrence of late 

 years in Surrey. For my own part, I have found it extremely abundant in Der- 

 byshire, and in the part of Yorkshire (Campsall Hall, near Doncaster) in which I 

 now reside, during the present year. 



NEVILLE WOOD. 



