202 Transactions of the [Sess. 



III.— NOTE ON THE APPEARANCE OF THE SAURY PIKE 



IN THE FORTH. 



By Mr A. B. HERBERT, President. 



{Nov. 27, 1884.) 



Mr Herbert brought under the notice of the Club the appear- 

 ance in the Forth at Queensferry of that peculiar fish, the Saury 

 Pike or Skipper {Scomberesox saurus), and exhibited several speci- 

 mens sent by Mr Walter Meek, the resident engineer of the Forth 

 Bridee, who found one had darted with such force into one of 

 the bolt-holes of the iron plates of the bridge that it was un- 

 able to extricate itself; and a few days afterwards large shoals of 

 them were observed, and many captured. Mr Herbert stated that 

 their visits to the Forth occur at very irregular intervals, several 

 years sometimes intervening, but these visits are always autumnal. 

 The fish dart with wonderful rapidity along the surface, and often 

 when pursued throw themselves out of the water for some dis- 

 tance, in this respect much resembling the habits of the Flying- 

 fish. .They are about 14 inches long, with sharp-pointed jaws, and 

 are much esteemed as food, the flesh being firm and of good 

 flavour, with very little bone except the line of vertebras. 



IV.— THE COMMONER BUNTINGS (EMBERIZIDyE). 



By Mr ARCH. CRAIG, Jun. 



{Read Dec. 26, 1884.) 



Compared with the Warblers treated of last session, the Emberizidse 

 or Buntings must be acknowledged to hold only an inferior place 

 in the estimation of naturalists, contrasting as they do in many 

 ways to the advantage of the former and their own prejudice. 

 Apart altogether from the fact that our commoner species are, to 

 all intents and purposes, non-migrator}^, thus losing, in a measure, 

 the charm which always seems to be inseparable from birds which 

 travel long distances to incubate in our ungenial climate, they 

 labour under the more important disadvantage — to us at any rate 

 — of being comparatively songiess, in that respect being the very 

 antithesis of our little Warbler friends. Music of a sort they un- 

 doubtedly indulge in ; but, with every desire to make the most of 

 their abilities in the direction of melody, and give them the benefit 

 of every doubt, it cannot be affirmed with truth that their efforts 



