SOME FISH NOTES 305 



to discover in the same way was Montagu's sucker, two, 

 which I found on the beach on another similar occasion. I 

 saw the net drawn with them ; they were clearly identified and 

 preserved, but I do not know where they are now." 



Now had these Montagu's suckers been properly recorded, 

 my claim to being the first observer to add the species to 

 the Yarmouth list would have been superseded. With the 

 exception of these two, whose history has now turned up in 

 an unexpected fashion, I knew of no others taken off this 

 coast until the spring of 1904, a period of over forty years. 

 This makes my contention good, when I say that the 

 records of any rare species are interesting and useful, as 

 adding to our store of knowledge. 



The Montagu's sucker (Liparis montagui} is referred to by 

 Dr. Lowe 1 as common in the Norfolk estuary. He says, " I 

 have frequently taken this, which is much more common here 

 than the preceding {Liparis vulgaris), in the estuary, and 

 several times in the river opposite Lynn, in fresh water at 

 low tide." 



In May, 1906, it came to hand from the Yarmouth shrimp 

 boats in sufficient numbers for me to believe it by no means 

 uncommon off this coast. Some I saw contained spawn 

 which was, proportionately, of a very large size. 



The lesser forkbeard has been recorded several times for 

 the Norfolk estuary (Day). Couch refers to one obtained by 

 a Mr. Gatty, F.L.S., at Yarmouth, but gives no date of its 

 occurrence. It would seem strange that, between that 

 example and the one mentioned by " J. T. F." as taken in 

 1861, none should be recorded until 1891, in which year I 

 obtained two, taken in shrimp-nets, while a third was washed 

 up after a gale in November, 1902. 



Day speaks of it as "apparently solitary and probably a 

 wanderer," and, quoting Ogilby, states that the " curious fact 

 of this fish being generally washed ashore dead, would seem 

 to prove that it lives at the bottom in very deep water, where 

 neither nets nor lines can be used, and where it is perhaps 

 not so rare as is supposed." 



It would be interesting to know at what deptji the influences 

 of a storm are felt ; and to know why this deep-sea species 

 should be subject to these influences. The fact of two being 



1 Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society. 

 X 



