FISHES 



62. Lemon Sole. Solea lascaris, Risso. 

 Very rare as an Essex fish. There is one 



Essex specimen at the biological station at 

 Brightlingsea. 



63. Little Sole. Solea lutea, Risso. 



This also is rare. An Essex specimen is 

 preserved at Brightlingsea station. 



PLECTOGNATHI 



64. Short Sun-fish. Orthagoriscus mo/a, Linn. 

 Lindsey says (A Season at Harwich, p. 102) 



this 'occurs but occasionally on the Essex 

 coast.' Mr. E. A. Fitch informs me he 

 saw a very large one which had been taken 

 in the river Crouch, at Battles Bridge, on 

 October 21, 1874. It was a female, measur- 

 ing 4 ft. 6 in. in length, and was carried 

 about and exhibited (see Land and Water, 

 October 31, 1874, p. 340). Mr. Fitch also 

 saw another in the same river at Burnham. 



65. Oblong Sun -fish. Orthagoriscus trun- 



catus, Retz. 



Lindsey says (A Season at Harwich, pt. 2, 

 p. 101) the oblong sun-fish is rare. 



PERCESOCES 



** 66. Grey Mullet. Mugil capita, Cuv. 



Yarrell says (British Fishes, i. 202) it occurs 

 constantly on the Essex coast. It still is 

 found commonly in the season. 



67. Lesser Grey Mullet. Mugil chelo, 

 Cuv. 



Is not so common as the last-mentioned 

 species. 



68. Atherine, Sand Smelt. Atherina pres- 



byter, Jenyns. 



Occasionally captured by the smelt fisher- 

 men at the mouth of the Colne. This year, 

 1901, they were very common about Walton 

 and Clacton piers. 



69. Larger Launce or Sand-Eel. Ammodytes 



lanceolatus, Le Sauvage. 

 This is found, but not so commonly as the 

 next species. 



70. Lesser Launce or Sand-Eel. Ammodytes 



tobianus, Linn. 



This is common, but I do not think it is 

 ever especially fished for, as is the case in the 

 west of England, where large numbers are 

 caught for bait. 



71. Gar-fish. Be/one vulgaris, Flem. 

 Large numbers of this are taken at certain 



seasons round the coast. They meet with a 

 ready sale in London. 



HEMIBRANCHII 



**72. Three-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus 

 aculeatus, Linn. 



Common everywhere in streams, ponds and 

 ditches. Doing very well in the brackish 

 waters of the marsh ditches. 



** 73. Ten-spined Stickleback or Tinker. 



Gastrosteus pungitius, Linn. 

 This is not nearly so common as the last 

 species, being found more frequently in small 

 streams rather than ponds, although it occurs 

 in the latter situations. I have never found 

 it in brackish water. Many of our specimens 

 have only nine spines. 



74. Fifteen-spined Stickleback. Gastrosteus 



spinachia, Linn. 



I have found this species very commonly in 

 trawling for eels amongst the Zostera marina, 

 on the muddy shores of the Blackwater at 

 Mersea. Unlike the rest of the family this 

 species is entirely confined to the sea. 



LOPHOBRANCHII 



75. Broad - nosed Pipe-fish. Siphonostoma 



typhle, Linn. 

 Very common amongst the Zostera. 



76. Greater Pipe-fish. Syngnathus acus, Linn. 



This, the commonest species of the family, 

 is found on all parts of the coast, especially in 

 the beds of Zostera. 



77. Ocean or Snake Pipe-fish. Nerophis 



aquoreus, Linn. 



Although not so common as the last two, 

 this is found in some quantity in the eel 

 trawls, in the same situation amongst the 

 Zostera. Day (Fishes of Great Britain, ii. 

 262) gives the estuary of the Thames as 

 their habitat. 



78. Straight-nosed or Snake Pipe-fish. Nero- 



phis ophidian, Linn. 



Buckland says (Fam. Hist, of Brit. Fishes, 

 p. 197) this is often taken with whitebait in 

 the mouth of the Thames. 



79. Sea - horse. Hippocampus antiquorum, 



Leach. 



Dr. Bree records (Field, Dec. i, 1866, 

 p. 420) the capture of two specimens of 

 rhis rare fish at Brit'htlinp-sea. 



225 



p. 420; tne capture 01 two 

 this rare fish at Brightlingsea. 



