INTRODUCTION. 29 



As regards this list of the Fish of Essex, I am 

 fully aware how imperfect my efforts have been to 

 provide a complete Catalogue. I have endeavoured 

 to make it as reliable as possible, with the hope that 

 its publication may be the means of directing the 

 attention of other observers to our Sea and River 

 Fish and, by so doing, may enable others, at some 

 future period, to fill up my many blanks. It is quite 

 impossible for anyone not residing at a fishing-port 

 and with many other calls on his time to make, single- 

 handed, anything like a complete record of all the 

 species occurring on the coasts of a county so rich 

 in species and individuals as Essex. 



SUMMARY. 



In conclusion, I may briefly point out that it is 

 amongst the Seals, Cetaceans, and Fishes that we 

 are most likely to have additions made to the lists 

 comprised in this volume. 



There is no reason why stragglers of at least two 

 other species of Seals should not be recorded, as both 

 are fairly common on the Norwegian coast. One of 

 them, the Bearded Seal (Phoca barbata), has been added 

 to the Norfolk Fauna during the last year : the other, 

 the Ringed Seal (Phoca faHda)> may have been already 

 frequently captured, and mistaken for the Common Seal. 

 Turning to Cetaceans, it can hardly be possible that 



