FISHES 



fine specimen 8 feet 8$ inches long, of which 

 he made a cast, was caught at Leigh near 

 Southend in November, 1866 (see also Field, 

 November 3, 1896, p. 362). 



29. Greater Weever. Trachinus draco, Linn. 

 A fish which is caught occasionally in eel 



trawls on the muddy Zostera covered shores. 

 Mr. E. A. Fitch records (Essex Nat. iii. 188) 

 the capture of one in the Blackwater by hook. 



30. Common Weever, Viper Weever. 7ra- 



cbinus vipera, Cuv. 



This is also taken in the eel trawls in the 

 same situations as the last, but much more 

 commonly. 



31. Dragonet or Dusky Skulpin. Callionymus 



lyra, Linn. 



The shrimp trawlers very often capture 

 this species in their shrimp nets on our sandy 

 shores, a locality just suited to its habits. 

 Day's figure (Fishes of Great Britain, pi. liv.) 

 was taken from a fish captured at Southend, 

 where the reddish specimens are called ' foxes.' 



32. Angler. Lophius piscatorius, Linn. 

 Locally, Toad-fish. 



This ungainly fish has been frequently 

 captured on the Essex coast, but it is not 

 often brought on shore by the fishermen. 



33. Wolf-fish. Anarrhichas lupus, Linn. 

 This fish has been captured at Walton-on- 



Naze (Essex Standard, August 29, 1885). 

 Common as it is on many parts of the English 

 seaboard it appears only as a straggler off 

 Essex ; the sandy shallow shores do not suit its 

 habits. 



34. Gattorugine. Bltnnius gattorugine, Bloch. 

 Mr. E. A. Fitch records in Zoologist, iii. 



326, ser. 4 the capture of one at Stansgate 

 in the Blackwater on August 19, 1898. 



35. Butterfish. Centronotus gunnellus, Linn. 

 This is another fish frequently caught in 



eel trawls. I find it very commonly on the 

 Zostera covered ooze at Mersea. Yarrell 

 (Brit. Fishes, i. 240) says it is found in the 

 mouth of the Thames. 



36. Viviparous Blenny. Zoarces viviparus, 



Linn. 



Not a rare fish. It is taken occasionally 

 among sprats by the stow-boat fishermen, 

 also by eel trawlers. 



ANACANTHINI 



37. Cod. Gadus morrhua, Linn. 



The value of this fish as food is well known, 



but most of those of large size captured it 

 the Essex estuaries are not in a fit condition 

 for the table, being more or less diseased. 

 Many young ones called ' codling ' are how- 

 ever captured in the finest condition all round 

 the coasts by hooks or nets. 



38. Large-headed Cod. Gadus macrocephalus, 



Tiles. 



Dr. Day (Journ. Linn. Sec. vol. xiv. No. 80, 

 p. 689) describes a specimen caught in the 

 mouth of the Thames at Southend. (This is 

 also recorded in Zoologist, 1880, p. 26.) Yar- 

 rell saw a large one from the mouth of the 

 Thames, but he considered the abnormal size 

 to be due to disease. 



The local fishermen call this variety 'Lord- 

 fish ' (see Day's Fishes of Great Britain, i. 278). 



39. Haddock. Gadus #gle/inus, Linn. 



I have occasionally taken this species in 

 some numbers in the Crouch, but I do not 

 think it is a very common fish on the Essex 

 coast. 



A large number were observed and taken 

 off Purfleet by the officers of the training 

 ship Cornwall in 1879 (Land and Water, 

 March i, 1879, p. 179). They have also 

 been noted in Dagenham Breach (ibid. March 

 22, 1879, p. 236) by Mr. P. Hood, who 

 communicated his surprise at finding them in 

 freshwater to F. Buckland. 



The latter's explanation that the water of 

 Dagenham Breach was brackish probably ac- 

 counted for their presence. 



40. Bib, Whiting Pout. Gadus luscus, Linn. 

 Locally, Wule or Whiting Wule. 



This is extremely common during the 

 early winter months, large numbers being 

 caught by all those who fish either from piers 

 or from boats with hooks. 



41. Power or Poor Cod. Gadus minutus, 



Linn. 



Mr. E. A. Fitch informs me it is not alto- 

 gether rare at times in the Thames estuary. 



42. Whiting. Gadus merlangus, Linn. 



In some seasons very abundant ; it arrives 

 in our estuaries about the middle or end of 

 September, and is a great favourite with those 

 who practise the form of fishing which is 

 locally called 'spruling.' 



43. Pollack, or Whiting Pollack. Gadus 



pollachius, Linn. 



Dale says (Hist, of Harwich, 1732, p. 428) 

 that in his time the whiting pollack was 

 sometimes caught and brought to Braintree 

 market with the other varieties of whiting. 



223 



