Mar. 18. 1854.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



245 



make these few comments, your correspondent 

 greatly doubts. One living person there is on 

 the other side, it is believed, who could throw 

 light on this question, if these lines should be so 

 fortunate as to meet his eye ; since he is referred 

 to, like many others, by initials and terminals, if 

 not in full — Mr. John Wilson Croker. 



2. Adventures in the Moon and other Worlds: 

 Longman & Co., sm. 8vo., 1836. Of this work, a 

 friend of the writer (who has but partially read it 

 as yet himself)j of keen discernment, says : " It is 

 a work of very marked character. The author is 

 an uncommonly skilful and practical writer, a 

 philosophical thinker, and a scholar familiar with 

 foreign literature and wide reaches of learning. 

 He has great ingenuity "and fancy withal ; so that 

 he is at the same time exceedingly amusing, and 

 suggestive of weighty and subtle thoughts." This, 

 too, is neglected by all the reviews. 



3. Lights, Shadows, and Re/lections of Whigs 

 and Tories : Lond. 12mo., 1841. This is a retro- 

 spective survey of the several administrations of 

 George III. from 1760 (his accession) to the 

 regency in 1811 ; evincing much political insight, 

 with some spirited portraits, and indicative both 

 of a close observation of public measures and 

 ■events, and of personal connexion or intercourse 

 with men in high place. There is a notice of this 

 in the London Spectator of 1841 (May 29th), and 

 in the old Monthly Review; but neither, it is plain, 

 had the author's secret. Habvabdiensis. 



Cambridge, Massachusetts, N.E. 



P. S. — Two articles of recent time in the 

 London Quarterly Review, the writer would fain 

 trace to their source ; " The Life and Correspond- 

 ence of Robert Southey," edited by the Rev. 

 Charles Cuthbert Southey, No. 175. (1851), and 

 "Physiognomy," No. 179. (1852), having three 

 works as the caption of the article, Sir Charles 

 Bell's celebrated work being one. 



BLIND MACKEBEL. 



Can any of your numerous contributors, who 

 may be lovers of ichthyology, inform me whether 

 or not the mackerel is blind when it first arrives 

 on our coasts ? I believe it to be blind, and for 

 the following reasons: — A few years ago, while 

 beating up channel early in June, on our home- 

 ward-bound voyage from the West Indies, some 

 of the other passengers and myself were endea- 

 vouring to kill time by fishing for mackerel, but 

 without success. 



When the pilot came on board and saw what 

 we were about, he laughed at us, and'said, " Oh, 

 gentlemen, you will not take them with the hook, 

 because the fish is blind." We laughed in our 

 turn, thinking he took us for flat-fish, and wished 

 to amuse himself at our expense. Observing this 



he said, " I will convince you that it is so," and 

 brought from his boat several mackerel he had 

 taken by net. He then pointed out a film over 

 the eye, which he said prevented the fish seeing 

 when it first made our coast, and explained that 

 this film gradually disappeared, and that towards 

 the middle of June the eye was perfectly clear, 

 and that the fish could then take the bait. 



I have watched this fish for some years past, 

 and have invariably observed this film quite over 

 the eye in the early part of the mackerel season, 

 and that it gradually disappears until the eye is 

 left quite clear. This film appears like an ill- 

 cleared piece of calf's-foot jelly spread over the 

 eye, but does not strike you as a natural part of 

 the fish, but rather as something extraneous. I 

 have also remarked that when the fish is boiled, 

 that this patch separates, and then resembles a 

 piece of discoloured white of egg. This film may 

 be observed by any one who takes the trouble of 

 looking at the eye of the mackerel. 



I have looked into every book on natural his- 

 tory I could get hold of, and in none is the 

 slightest notice taken of this; therefore I sup- 

 pose my conclusion as to its blindness is wrong ; 

 but I do not consider this to be conclusive, as all 

 we can learn from books is, '■'•Scomber is the mac- 

 kerel genus, and is too well known to require 

 description." I believe less is known about fish 

 than any other animals; and should you think 

 this question on natural history worthy a place in 

 your " N. & Q.," I will feel obliged by your giving 

 it insertion. An Odd Fish. 



JMtanr tihurtat 



Original Words of old Scotch Airs. — Can any 

 one tell me where the original words of many fine 

 old Scotch airs are to be found ? The wretched 

 verses of Allan Ramsay, and others of the same 

 school, are adapted to the "Yellow-haired Laddie," 

 "Ettrick Banks," "The Bush aboon Traquair," 

 " Mary Scott," and hundreds of others. There 

 must exist old words to many of these airs, which 

 at least will possess some local characteristics, and 

 be a blessed change from the " nymphs " and 

 " swains," the " Stephens " and " Lythias," which 

 now pollute and degrade them. Any information 

 on this subject will be received most thankfully. 

 I particularly wish to recover some old words to 

 the air of " Mary Scott." The only verse I re- 

 member is this, — 



" Mary's black, and Mary's white, 

 Mary is the king's delight; 

 The king's delight, and the prince's marrow, 

 Mary Scott, the Flower of Yarrow. " 



L. M. M. R. 



Royal Salutes. — When the Queen arrives at 

 any time in Edinburgh after sunset, it has been 



