126 



August 23, 1831. 



Joseph Smith, Esq. in the Chair. 



Two letters from Mr. J. B. Arnold of Guernsey were read, con- 

 taining particulars of his experiments in the naturalization of Sea 

 Fishes in a lake chiefly supplied with fresh water. The area of the 

 lake is about five acres ; its depth various ; and its bottom also va- 

 rious, being muddy, gravelly, and rocky. The water is during 

 nine months of the year drinkable for cattle, but in consequence of 

 a supply which it receives through a tunnel communicating with the 

 sea, is rather salt in summer, at which season the freshes do not 

 come down so plentifully as at other times. The fishes introduced 

 into the lake have been the greij Mullet, Sole, Turbot, Brill, Plaice, 

 Basse, Smelt, and grey Loach. All of these have thriven well, and 

 are believed to have increased in numbers: the grey Mullet espe- 

 cially is known to have bred as freely as in the sea itself. A single 

 Whiting having been caught for three successive years, was found 

 to have grown considerably : a Pilchard also throve well. All the 

 above-mentioned fishes were placed in the lake, except perhaps the 

 Brill; but others, as the silver Bream, appear to have introduced 

 themselves. It is even suspected that hybrid fishes have been pro- 

 duced, as several have been caught which were unknown to persons 

 well acquainted with the species usually met with on the coast of 

 Guernsey. Mr. Arnold adds that Sea Fishes, after having been 

 naturalized in his lake, have been transferred to ponds of spring 

 water, where they have not only lived, but done well ; and that such 

 naturalized fishes have been carried to a long distance, being much 

 more tenacious of life than those caught in the sea. 



Numerous specimens of Hylurgns Pinijjei-cla, Latr., presented to 

 the Society by Barlow Hoy, Esq., were exhibited, together with 

 specimens of the shoots of Pities perforated by these insects. The 

 mode in which the young branches are destroyed by these perfora- 

 tions has been illustrated by Mr. Lindley in Mr. Curtis's ' Bi'itish 

 Entomologyl'. Its eftbct was regarded by Linnaeus as analogous to 

 that of pruning. 



The exhibition of the collection of Fishes formed at the Mauritius 

 by Mr. Telfair, portions of which had been brought before the Com- 

 mittee at the Meetings in April, was resumed. From among them 

 Mr. Bennett pointed out more particularly the following species 

 which he believed to have been previously undescribed. 



Serranus Delissii. Serr. maxillis sqvamosis ; lobis jnnnce cau- 

 dalis elongatis, cequalibus ; radio tertio jiinnce dorsalis producto : 

 superne stramincns, rubro cancellation rividatuS) injcrne lilacino- 

 niber ; pinnis ventralibus aurantiaco-Jlavis. 



Dl (, A .-. 



