FISHES 



and which he takes to be a monstrosity of the 

 basking shark {Selache maxima). 



123. Porbeagle. Lamna cornubica, Gmel. 

 Yarmouth. — P. 



Mundesley : ' A large specimen, the skull 

 of which is in Norwich Museum.' — J. H. G. 



' Yesterday a young porbeagle shark was 

 found alive, stranded on Overstrand beach. 

 It was 25^ inches long from snout to tail.' — 

 J. H. G., in lit., November 12th, 1880 (T. 



In addition to four examples previously re- 

 corded, Mr. Southwell tells of one he saw in 

 Norwich market, and he has heard of several 

 others. Mr. Patterson writes that one, taken 

 at Yarmouth, September 30th, 1893, mea- 

 sured 6 feet 6 inches in length. He also 

 mentions a 7-foot specimen in Yarmouth 

 fish-market, October 17th, 1891 {Trans. Nat. 

 Hist. Soc.y vol. v. p. 326). 



' Another at Yarmouth, September 26th, 

 1894 ; length, 9 feet.' — A. P. 



124. Thrasher. Alopias vulpes, Gmel. 

 Yarmouth. Mr. Gunn reports the capture 



of one by one of the crew of a lugger engaged 

 in the mackerel fishery, July 4th, 1867. Its 

 total length was 14 feet 5 inches ; girth below 

 pectoral fin, 6 feet ; tail, from tip to root, 

 7 feet 4 inches. 



This species was first described by Dr. 

 Caius from a specimen stranded between 

 Lowestoft and Pakefield, in February, 1570. 

 Vide De Canibus Britannicis, etc., lib. ii. ; De 

 Rariorum Animalium, etc., p. 28. 



' In Land and Water for November 22nd, 

 1884, mention is made of a thrasher shark 

 which was caught off Palling by some long- 

 shore herring-fishers, on October 2nd, 1884 ; 

 it was said to measure 6 feet in the body, the 

 tail also being 6 feet long.' — T. S. 



125. Smooth Hound. Mustelus /avis, Flem. 



{M. vulgaris, Day). 

 Norfolk Estuary. 



1 26. Hammer Head. Zygana malleus, Risso. 

 Only one is mentioned as having been 



taken at Yarmouth, November 24th, 1829. 

 This is referred to in Messrs. Paget's list, and 

 in Couch's British Fishes. The head and 

 tail were presented to the Norwich Museum 

 by Mr. Dawson Turner. 



127. Tope. Galeus vulgaris, Flem. 

 'Yarmouth, 14 inches.' — A. P. 



Mr. Cresswell has caught large numbers 

 with night lines, off Hunstanton. In the 

 years 1872-73 he took more than a hundred. 

 Forty-five were caught at one time, two of 

 which, measuring over 5 feet long, he kindly 



sent to me for examination. All the females 

 contained fully-developed young ones more 

 than a foot in length. The season at which 

 these take a bait is in June and early in July, 

 after which time they cease to be caught. 

 Their food at this time appears to consist 

 chiefly of crabs and starfish.* 



128. Blue Shark. Carcharias glaucus, LAnn, 



Yarmouth. — P. ' In the autumn.' — Pat- 

 terson. 



I have no authentic record of this fish being 

 taken in the Estuary, and suspect that the 

 tope is sometimes mistaken for it. Thus, 

 two specimens in the Wisbeach Museum, 

 said to be blue sharks, are in reality topes. 

 Mr. T. E. Gunn records one specimen 

 stranded on the beach at Yarmouth, Decem- 

 ber 19th, 1866, and gives the following 

 measurements : total length, 5 feet 4 inches ; 

 length of head, io| inches ; girth to first 

 dorsal, i foot 7 inches. These might, in the 

 absence of other characters, apply equally to 

 the tope. 



129. Picked Dogfish. Acanthias vulgaris, 



Risso. 

 Norfolk Estuary. I have frequently met 

 with small specimens of this species taken in 

 trawl-nets, but have never been able to ob- 

 serve those attempts at using its spines with 

 such wonderful sagacity as Couch describes 

 (p. 51). That they often inflict a wound 

 when springing from the hand of their captor 

 is not improbable ; but that it is done with 

 intention, intuitive perception, and mathe- 

 matical accuracy described by writers, is con- 

 trary to all I have been able to ascertain by 

 careful observation. 



130. Greenland Shark. Lamargus microce- 

 phalus, Bl. Schn. 



'An immature specimen caught at Sherring- 

 ham is in the Norwich Museum.' — J. H. G. 



'A Greenland shark, 15 feet long, was 

 captured in shallow water off Caistor, Great 

 Yarmouth, on November nth, 1885. It 

 was exhibited afterwards at Yarmouth. On 

 January 2ist, 1892, another, 13 feet 2 inches 

 long, was captured by some Lynn fishermen, 

 and landed at the Purfleet Quay ; and on July 

 1 2th of the same year the Overstrand fisher- 

 men captured yet another, which had got 

 into shallow water. This last measured 10 

 feet in length, and, I believe, was purchased 



1 Mr. Patterson sends me a note of a small one, 

 14 inches long, caught at Yarmouth. It is remark- 

 able that so few of this species occur at Yarmouth, 

 while they abound to such an extent in the Norfolk 

 Estuary at Hunstanton. 



15 



