FISHES 



under a great disadvantage, since there are but few Essex records to 

 consult and there are unfortunately no early lists for the county, the 

 only exception being that in Dale's History of Harwich and Dovercourt, 

 published in 1732, which has been used by later writers who have 

 copied from it without making any additions of value. 



The few records in Yarrell, Day and Donovan, and the occasional 

 notes in the Zoologist, The Field and Land and Water, comprise all, or 

 nearly all, the material that the compiler has been able to procure to 

 assist him in making the following list. He has therefore had but little 

 to add to the notes and records which he had put together from his own 

 knowledge and observation. Free use has been made of the information 

 contained in the list which he had previously compiled and which 

 appeared in one of the special volumes issued by the Essex Field Club, 

 but he has added, so far as his information enables him to do so, all those 

 species which are known to have been captured since the publication 

 of this volume. 



In the following list an asterisk (*) is placed opposite the names of 

 those species which are found only in freshwater, and two asterisks (**) 

 against those that may be found in both fresh water and salt. 



TELEOSTEANS 



ACANTHOPTERYGII 



*i. Perch. Ptrca ftuviatilis, Linn. 



Occurs commonly in all the rivers of the 

 county. One weighing 4 Ib. is reported 

 from Dagenham Lake (Field, October, 29, 

 1881). 



2. Ruff or Pope. Acerina cernua, Linn. 



Lieutenant Croft in a paper (Tram. Herts 

 Nat. Hht. Soc. 1881) says this species is an 

 inhabitant of the river Lea, but it appears to 

 be absent from all the other Essex rivers, un- 

 less there may be some in that portion of the 

 Cam which is within the Essex boundary. 



** 3. Sea Bass. Morone labrax, Linn. 



Taken occasionally in all the Essex estu- 

 aries. 



4. Ballan Wrasse. Labrus maculatus, Bloch. 

 Very rare ; three specimens only recorded ; 



muddy and sandy shores do not suit the habits 

 of this family. 



5. Baillon's Wrasse. Crenilabrui melops, Linn. 

 Specimens from the Thames estuary have 



been presented to the British Museum by Dr. 

 J. Murie, as I am informed by Mr. Boulenger. 



*6. Miller's Thumb. Coitus gobio, Linn. 



Occurs plentifully in all our streams, espe- 

 cially those with a gravelly bottom. 



7. Greenland Bullhead. Coitus grtenlandicus, 



Cuv. & Val. 



Dr. Day confirmed Mr. J. T. Carrington's 

 identification of several specimens of this fish 

 which had been captured in the whitebait 

 nets in the Thames (Zool. 1880, p. 147). 

 They have never been seen to approach the 

 size they are said to attain in Greenland. 



8. Father-lasher, Bullhead. Cottus scorpius, 



Linn. 



Very frequent all round the coast. C. 

 grtenlandicus is considered by many to be a 

 variety of this species. 



9. Bubal is. Cottus bubalis, Euphr. 

 Another very common species. The local 



name for all these three species is Bullhead. 



10. Four-horned Cottus. Cottus q uadricornit, 



Linn. 



This is very rare, but Leonard Jenyns says 

 (British Vertebrate Animals, 1835, p. 346) 

 some specimens in the British Museum were 

 found among sprats taken at the mouth of the 

 Thames. 



11. Grey Gurnard. Trig/a gurnardus, Linn. 

 Caught sometimes during September in 



some numbers. In Dale's History of Harwich, 

 p. 431, under grey gurnard, is the following 

 statement : ' This I have seen caught in the 

 sea before this (i.e. Harwich) harbour.' 



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