194 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



9th July 1881 I espied a small fish the size of 

 my hand exhibited by the side of some Shrimps. 

 It was of a rich carmine colour, and had been 

 taken that morning in the net. Beauty of colora- 

 tion and quaintness of shape are its only recom- 

 mendations to the notice of those who fall in with 

 it. It is thinner in proportion to its size than a 

 Dory, bony, scaly, and not sweet - smelling. My 

 note to the Eastern Daily Press respecting its capture 

 elicited from Mr. T. Southwell, F.Z.S., the following 

 interesting letter : 



"The capture of the Boar-Fish (Capros aper) 

 mentioned by Mr. A. Patterson in the letter 

 published in your issue of this morning [llth July 

 1881] is very interesting, and I believe he is right 

 in saying that this is the first record of its occurrence 

 on the Norfolk coast. It is, however, not by any 

 means so rare a creature as Mr. Patterson's 

 authorities lead him to suppose, as scarcely a year 

 passes without its being met with on the southern 

 coast of England, sometimes in very large numbers. 

 The Boar-Fish was first described as British from a 

 specimen taken in Mount's Bay, Cornwall, in 1825, 

 and its chief habitat seems to be close to the 



