Holt and Calderwood — Report on the Rarer Fishes. 423 



Ballynakill Bay, Davalann, Clew Bay, Broadhaven Bay, Killybegs outer harbour, 

 and Sheephaven. Shortly after the capture of the " Fingal," specimens had been 

 announced by one of us. The occurrence of the species in large numbers off the 

 Eddystone Lighthouse was recorded by Cunningham, who conjectured {loc. cit.) 

 that it was " fairly abundant between 20 and 30 fathoms, on smooth sandy ground, 

 all along the British and Irish coasts." The surmise, in addition to the confir- 

 mation it had already received by the (then unpublished) results of the " Harle- 

 quin " investigations, has since been borne out by the experience of one of us 

 in the North Sea, where C. Nilssonii has been taken off Flamborough Head ; 

 while fragments which almost certainly belong to the same species have been 

 seen adhering to the trawls of vessels returning from other grounds. It may be 

 noted, as shown by the results of the Survey, that the vertical range is rather more 

 extensive than was supposed by Mr. Cunningham, while the fish occurs on muddy 

 as well as on sandy ground. 



It is known to occur on the Scandinavian coast as far North as Christiansund, 

 but does not appear to have been recognised in any other locality except those 

 already mentioned. Day, in the light of the information at his disposal, considered 

 it to be evidently much rarer than ApMa pelliicida, and partial to more northern 

 localities. It is certainly infinitely more numerous than Aphia on British coasts ; 

 and it seems very probable that the limited extent of its known horizontal range 

 is in great part due to the ease with which it may be mistaken for the young 

 condition of some larger fish. 



It does not appear that C. Nilssonii has ever been utilised as human food, 

 although, like the preceding species, it might probably be procured in sufiicient 

 quantities to serve as " white bait." Its importance as food for other fishes 

 was adverted to some years ago, by a writer in the Field newspaper, and is 

 sufiSciently emphasised by the frequency with which the species figures in the 

 list of organisms taken from the stomachs of larger forms during the Sm-vey.* 



Genus Callionymus, Linnaeus. 



Callionymus lyra, Linnaeus. The Dragonet. (Deep-sea.) 



Callionymus lyra, .... Vaillant, '' Exp. Sci. Trav. Talism. Poiss.," p. 349. 

 „ „ . . . . Smitt, " Hist. Skand. Fish.," ed. ii. p. 273. 



The species appears to be common along the west coast of Ireland. It was not 

 met with at more than 62 fathoms, and has never been recorded from below the 

 100-fathom line in British waters. Vaillant, however, found it at 130 fathoms off 



* Cf. Holt, " On the Food of Fishes on the West Coast."— Sci. Proc, iv., pp. 457-471. 



