THE SAND-EELS AND ALLIED FORMS. 385 



and, as I have often observed on Bournemouth pier, hold 

 aloof, or pick up what they may lower down. There 

 seems to be some doubt as to the exact spawning-time. 

 According to Cunningham, the next species is known 

 to deposit its spawn in the month of July ; and this, 

 taken in conjunction with the fact that the larvae of the 

 present species were got at St Andrews in March of a 

 size corresponding with that of other larvae, less closely 

 identified, taken in August, leaves room for two hypoth- 

 eses — either that the present species spawns in winter, 

 or that one or both may spawn twice in the year. 



The Lesser Launce, known as the "Wriggle," differs 

 but slightly from small examples of the last, the lower 



Lesser jaw being relatively shorter and the two upper 



Launce. teeth being absent. In colour it closely re- 

 sembles the last, though somewhat lighter. The food 

 and habits are also similar, both species being fond of 

 burrowing in the wet sand above low-water mark, from 

 which they are often " scraped " by moonlight, a favourite 

 diversion in the Channel Islands. Bearing in mind the 

 limitation mentioned under the head of rocklings, it is 

 worth mentioning that the sand-eels are the best bait 

 for almost every fish in our seas, so that it is quite pos- 

 sible that they have a brisk time of it; 



[Day^ only admitted the third sand-eel to our fauna 

 conditionally, as it is a deep-water form and very rare 

 in our waters. The Smooth Sand-latmce, as it is called, 

 is a very small species, toothless, and practically without 

 scales.] 



[The Bearded Opliidium^ or Snake-fish, which has only 

 been recorded once in our seas, is said to reach a length 

 of lo inches, has two barbels on the lower jaw, and is 

 brown, the fins having a black margin.] 



1 British Fishes, vol. i. p. 334. 

 2 B 



