AUG. DEAL-FISH— WOODCOCKS. 271 



A rare and singularly formed fish was once 

 brought to me during the month of August by the 

 fishermen. It is called the "Deal-fish," or, locally, 

 the " Saw-fish." The latter name is very expres- 

 sive of its shape and proportions, the fish being flat 

 vertically instead of, like a sole or flounder, hori- 

 zontally. The following is the description of the 

 fish which I set down at the time : 



Length, 3 feet 6 inches. 



Depth, 7 inches. 



Greatest thickness, between half and three quarters of an inch . 



Colour, bright silver, with one very thin crimson fin running 



the whole length of its back. 

 The tail very transparent, fan-shaped, and of a bright crimson. 

 A large flat eye ; 

 And a small mouth, which the fish had a peculiar power of 



elongating to a considerable extent. 



It had managed to get hooked through the back 

 by a common haddock-hook. I wished to have 

 preserved the skin, as I believe that there are not 

 above one or two perfect specimens extant; but, 

 unluckily, through a mistake the fish was destroyed. 



August 4th. — We caught a young woodcock full 

 grown in one of the woods near here. A dog dis- 

 turbed it in the cover ; and it flew fluttering into 

 the road, where it allowed itself to be caught by 

 the hand, although it was quite as large as an old 

 bird, and its wings apparently fully feathered. 



