70 



NOTES — ORICxINAL AND SELECTED. 



that for something." The toads were more gingerl}' touched, but neither man 

 would handle the efts ; they were left for the writer to remove.— I. Chalkley 

 Gould, Loughton, February, igoi. 



PISCES. 

 New Records of Fish in Essex Rivers.— Mr. Edward Hesse, the 

 well-known Fish Taxidermist, who as an angler is acquainted with our Essex 

 rivers, has furnished some notes (dated March, igoi) which supplement the 

 lists given in Dr. Laver's Mammals, Reptiles, and Fishes of Essex. 



Of the River Cam Dr. Laver remarked that he had been " unable to get 

 any list or specimens of the fish of the Essex portion of this river. This is 

 more to be regretted, as, in some parts of its course, it holds two species 

 apparently naturally absent from all the rest of our Essex rivers . . . 

 these two species are the Grayling, lately introduced into the Lea, and the 

 Spined Loach." Mr. Hesse records the following as occurring in the Cam 

 at Great Chesterford, Essex ;—" Pike, Perch, Roach, Dace (very large 

 specimens, up to ilb. 40Z.), Chub, Minnow, Loach, Miller's Thumb, and Eel. 

 I have not found Grayling, but the stream is quite suitable for the fish." 



Of the Fiver Blackwater he remarks :—" The Bronze Bream is very 

 plentiful in the Langford Hall Fishery, near Maldon, but is not found higher 

 up the river. It is also plentiful in the brackish water at Beeleigh Weir, 

 where the Chelmer joins the Blackwater." 



Adding to Dr. Laver's 26 fishes of the Lea Mr. Hesse records the Bleak 

 for that river. 



Of the Grayling in the Lea resulting from the introduction of fry in 1863, 

 and concerning which Dr Laver remarks " I have not heard of the capture of 

 any of them, but we must hope they are still doing well," Mr. Hesse says :— 

 " A few Grayhng are to be found in the Mill Pool at Hertford ; fish have 

 been caught, but they do not seem to increase." 



Inthe RoDiNG (nohst for which is given by Laver) he finds :—" Pike, 

 Perch Chubb, Roach, Dace, Bleak, Rudd, Gudgeon, Minnow, Stickleback, 

 Ten-spined Stickleback, Miller's Thumb, Eel. The river may contain Carp 

 and Tench, but I have never seen or caught any. The Roding would be a 

 greater favourite with anglers if it was not poached so much by the country- 

 man." 



Of the occurrence of the Barbel in Dagenham Lake, mentioned by Laver 

 (pp 23 and 109) he remarks;—" This, I think, must be a mistake ; probably 

 a carp in poor condition was mistaken for barbel. I have never before heard 

 of Barbel being in the lake." It should be noted that in the list of fish given 

 in Mr. Hilhar's paper " An Angler's Notes on Dagenham Lake," in the 

 Essex Naturalist (vol. vi., p. 146) the Barbel is not mentioned. 



ARACHNID A. 

 Epping Forest Spiders.— The following additions should be made to 

 the lists of the spiders of the Forest in the Trans. Es^ex Field Club (iv. pp. 41- 

 49^ and Essex Naturalist (vol. xi., pp. ^i^-iii) ■.-Amaurohius fenestvahs, 

 St'roem, abundant in winter. Stemonyphantes lineatus, L., a few specimens. 

 Anineus Wiguttatus. , uncommon, Loughton. Euryopis inormata, Cb., a rare 

 species; several males on a heathy ridge near Loughton.-FRANK P. Smith. 



