122 Sand-Smelt, Kent and Essex. 



such as diminutive shrimps, Mysis and Amphipods, while some 

 evidently preyed on logworm. 



Sand-Smelt and Sand-Eel Families (Atherinidw and 

 Ammodytidce) . "We place these two families together for con- 

 venience sake, whereas structurally they diverge considerably. 



The SAND-SMELT (Atherina presbyter), as we have already 

 hinted, is not to be confounded with the true smelt. The 

 former is readily known by absence of cucumber scent, short 

 bluntish head, large eyes, and specially bigger rayed hindmost 

 back fin, besides silvery side band. The true smelt is a sal- 

 monoid, with quite small post-dorsal fleshy or adipose fin, 

 &c. Dr. Day* says (evidently citing Montagu!) : " In Kent 

 the atherine appears to be unknown " ; though, oddly enough, 

 further on he quotes Yarrell that, " It is found off Dunge- 

 ness." As a matter of fact, the sand-smelt is tolerably well 

 represented in our two counties. Doubtless its headquarters is 

 along the English Channel, Sussex, Hants, westwards, where 

 special fisheries for it obtain. The Colne smelt fishermen 

 capture them in their ordinary smelt-nets (Laver) ; they are 

 got on both shores of the Thames estuary, also in the Medway 

 mouth, and in certain spots from Dover to Dungeness. 



Those which have come under our observation in the 

 Thames have mostly run from 4 to 5 inches long ; several 

 shorter have been taken either in the stow or drag-net. But 

 one of the whitebaiters at work in the Queenborough grounds 

 in 1899 tells us that during the summer season they regularly 

 procured a few daily, and towards the end of October they 

 seemed to get more numerous, from 20 to 30 a day in the drag- 

 net, many of these 6 to 7 inches long. He further said they 

 seemed to be present in the Swale " one end to the other." In 

 early times, when the Leigh middle-ground was shallower than 

 it is at present, report says sand-smelts were frequent there ; 

 now they are caught chiefly from Southend eastwards. 



* Fishes of Gt. Brit, and Ireland, I. isee Paruell, Fishes, Firth of Forth (183'.'). 



