Manchester Memoirs, Vol. Iviii. (19 14), No. 9- 11 



ing it with the young of the Herring, but it is evident 

 that he means the Smelt. 



"In Rotherston, or Rostern-Meer in Cheshire, there are 

 Sprats taken annually for ten Days about Easter, which 

 are not to be distinguish'd in any manner from Sea- 

 Sprats, being of the same Colour, Shape and Taste. 

 Likewise at the same time that they are taken in the 

 Meer, they are also caught in the River Mersey below 

 Warrington-Bridge^ where the Tide brings up the Salt- 

 Water, which Place is about seven or eight Miles from 

 the Meer. But the most remarkable Circumstance 

 relating to the Affair is this, That the' there is a Rivulet 

 runs thro' the Meer into the River Mersey, and though 

 there are several Weirs between the Lake and the River, 

 yet no Sprats have been ever caught or seen between 

 these two Places." The remainder of the article is specu- 

 lation as to the origin of the Smelts in the mere. 



So far as we can discover, Richard Brookes's state- 

 ment that the Smelt does not occur in the Bollin has 

 never been refuted, although at a later date Benjamin 

 Martin, when describing the rivers of Lancashire," 

 mentions " the Bollen, a small River rising in Cheshire, 

 which is also augmented with other Rivulets, and princi- 

 pally abounds with Sparklings or Smelts." 



This work, which is undoubtedly a compilation, is not 

 reliable on other points, and possibly Martin copied from 

 Brookes, but misunderstood him. 



The Brook Lamprey occurs 



Latnpetra planeri l^\oc\\). in Blackburn's Brook, but 



we do not know that it 

 actually enters the mere. Large numbers were running 

 up out of the Birkin on April 21st and 22nd, 1912. 



^* "The Natural History of England," 2 vols. 1763. II., 254 



