346 NOTES AND MEMORANDA. 



Amphipocl Crustaceans and the late larva of a shrimp or prawn, 

 which was too much digested to admit of closer identification. The 

 stomach also contained, remarkably enough, the cleanly excised stomach 

 of another fish, which contained Copepods and other small plankton 

 organisms in a sufficiently fresh state to admit of easy identification. 

 The stomach was clearly that of a Clupeoid, with a characteristic 

 tough, gizzard-like pyloric portion, and it is, in fact, the stomach of 

 a pilchard, as I have found by comparison. Mr. Dunn tells me that, 

 along with the abnormal Bream, there were taken in the seine about 

 a dozen other Bream, about 30 Red Mullets, a few flat-fishes, and about 

 3000 pilchards. He says that the fishermen were very anxious to see 

 if the pilchards were fat or not, and that, in order to see their condition, 

 the men may have unmeshed and opened one before tucking the seine, 

 and thrown its stomach in the sea. There can be no doubt that this 

 explanation is correct, but it is curious that this bit of jetsam should 

 have fallen to the lot of the fish which was worst provided with 

 organs of prehension. Although, however, the abnormality described 

 undoubtedly deprives the fish of all power of using its teeth, it does 

 not affect its powers of suction ; and, as observations in the Aquarium 

 have shown that this means of catching small prey is very commonly 

 employed by fishes, it is no doubt by this means that the abnormal 

 Bream succeeded in securing its supply of Amphipods and other 

 booty. 



As regards the structure of the abnormal mouth, Yarrell is right in 

 attributing its main peculiarity to the absence of the intermaxillary 

 (or premaxillary) bone. But in the specimen examined by me this is 

 not the only defect, for one of the maxillary bones, viz., the right, is 

 also wanting, while the left persists. This asymmetry in the abnor- 

 mality suggests the result of injury rather than a congenital mal- 

 formation, and confirms a view as to the origin of the abnormality 

 which has been communicated to me in a letter from Mr. Dunn. 

 I will quote his remarks verbatim : — 



" It is known to our people, when they anchor on certain high rocks, 

 that the Sea Bream, in all its stages, is the most pertinaceous, persistent, 

 and obdurate enemy that our Pollack fishers have, never leaving the 

 bait rest one moment, if the Pollack is not in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood of the end of the line. This vexes the fisherman very much, and 

 when he feels them tearing and mangling his bait, and making it unfit 

 for Pollack food, in his excitement he often jerks the line with all the 

 might of his arm. Sometimes one of the batch (for there are generally 

 several there) will be hooked on the outside, but if hooked on the top 

 of the mouth his top jaw is sure to be pulled away. This I have seen 

 done more than once." 



