LAMPRIS LUNA. 



NOTE XIX. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF 

 LAMPRIS LUNA, GMEL. ON THE DUTCH COAST. 



Dr. Th. W. van LIDTH de JEÜDE. 



On Dec. 8th 1888 a large fish was washed ashore near Sche- 

 veningen, and was captured by two fishermen, who brought it 

 to the Leyden Museum. They told us nobody in Scheveningen 

 ever saw such a fish, and were very much surprised as we 

 showed them a stuffed specimen of Lampris luna, captured at 

 Noordwijk in 1840, which specimen resembled the fish they 

 captured in all points, being only somewhat smaller. 



Now it is a matter of truth that Lampris luna very seldom 

 makes its appearance on our coast. As far as I can make out 

 this is the 5th specimen captured on the dutch coast during 

 this century. 



The first is the specimen, the skeleton of which is described 

 by G. Bakker in his work entitled » Osteographia Piscium" 

 edited in 1822 at Groningen. In his »Praefatio" Bakker states 

 that his specimen was captured at Katwijk during the summer 

 fifteen years ago l ). 



In 1836 a second specimen of Lampris luna was washed 

 ashore at Noordwijk. A coloured figure of that specimen in 

 possession of Mr. F. A. Verster van Wulverhorst, the admini- 

 strator of the Leyden Museum, who got it from his father, is 

 now in our library. Moreover Mr. Verster van Wulverhorst Sr. 

 made an annotation in his copy of » J. A. Bennet en G. van 

 Olivier, Naamlijst der Nederlandsche Visschen" stating the 



1) In «Bouwstoffen voor eene Fauna van Nederland" this fish is erroneously 

 stated to have been caught in 1822 at the coast of Groningen. 



Notes from the Leyden Museum, Vol. XI. 



