SOME FISH NOTES 297 



friend, who evidently knew of my penchant for strange marine 

 creatures. 



Couch {British Fishes) gives the ordinary size of the fish 

 as from 4 in. to 5 in. ; the present example, measuring 7 J in. 

 in length, must be a fine one. Willoughby is said to have 

 seen examples on sale in the fish-market at Rome, but as 

 the fish, minus its " beak," can be covered by an ordinary 

 envelope, and is only three-fourths of an inch in thickness 

 at its widest part, it speaks much for the economic and 

 microscopic tastes of the Romans. Nevertheless, its flesh 

 is said to be excellent eating, and people who can dine con- 

 tentedly on insectivorous birds ought to be good judges of its 

 culinary properties. The bellows-fish is undoubtedly a slow 

 swimmer, and probably keeps well to the sea bottom, where 

 it uses the pipe-fish-like end of its long stiff beak to gather 

 tiny crustaceans, entomostracea, and other small marine 

 creatures. Its very limited means of progression may 

 account for its restricted wanderings, and its presence in 

 British waters must certainly be due to tidal influences. 

 Briefly described, the body is covered with small, rough 

 scales, the eyes are exceedingly large, and the body narrow. 

 The fins are small, and the rays of the first dorsal are orna- 

 mented with stout spines, the foremost of which is long and 

 immovable, and is probably used as a weapon of offence, 

 and a formidable one it must be. That such a rarity should 

 have been saved from destruction is exceedingly to the credit 

 of my then unknown correspondent. 



A GURNARD'S QUIETUS 



Couch's figure and description of the so-called little 

 gurnard ( Trigla pcBcilopterd)^- described also under that name 

 by Yarrell and Thompson, gave me some considerable 

 trouble in trying to localise the species (?), and eventually, 

 to satisfy myself as to its non-existence. Couch gave 

 the length of examples examined by him at i in. ; and 

 Dr. Lowe, who included it as a species in the Norfolk list, 2 



1 British Fishes, Vol. II, p. 36, Fig. LXX. 



2 Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society, 1873. 



