The Zoologist — February, 1866. 105 



There were some three or four round dark spots on the head and 

 near ihe ridge of the back in various parts of the fish, but I found no 

 similar spots on the corresponding parts, and incline to think them 

 accidental: they were mostly about the size of a crown-piece. 

 I found them first on my second inspection of the fish. 



The fish was opened in my presence on Tuesday, the 19th of 

 December. We found in it two very large lobes of milt, apparently 

 almost ready to be shed. Its liver was very soft, and very colourless ; 

 in fact, it was not a healthy liver at all, unless it had been affected by 

 the period during which the fish had been dead (but it did not stink). 

 The stomach was small, and communicated with the anal aperture by 

 one long gut. In the stomach we found the head of a gray gurnard, 

 cut off just across the nape and down the line of the operculum, so 

 clean that we fitted it with the greatest ease to the shoulders of the 

 same fish, which we also found undigested : these two bits of fish had 

 undergone so little digestive action that I suppose they may have been 

 the bait with which the fish was taken. There was also in the 

 stomach a small bit of sea-weed (common oreweed, and showing no 

 sign of digestive action on it whatever), and some digested food of a 

 dark brown colour. 



I wish it to be understood that I am merely supplementing the de- 

 scriptions of this rare fish given by Yarrell and Couch. My specimen 

 differs evidently very much from the figures given by them, but it also 

 agrees so well with their descriptions that I think it must be the same 

 fish. Anyhow, if its skin turns out tough enough, and not too gela- 

 tinous, I hope to have it shortly stuffed and properly set up in our 

 Museum here. 



It is to be observed that we have lately had here a long succession 

 of southerly and south-westerly gales and wind. 



Thomas Cornish. 

 Penzance, Dccenaber 20, 1865. 



Is it Spider or Mouse P — A very similar occurrence to that related by Mr. Birchall, 

 in the last number of the ' Zoologist' (S. S. 8), iu his note on the field mouse, came 

 under my notice some time since, the only difference being that there was no mouse 

 connected with it. On going into a small house in my garden, whieh was used for 

 the purpose of keeping garden tools, I was surprised to find the floor strewn with the 

 wings of various butterflies and moths; on seeking for the cause, I found, as 

 Mr. Birchall did, a large spider's web, to which very many wings were hanging: the 

 greatest accumulation of wings was under the web; many were hanging on the wall 

 SECOND SERIES — VOL. I. P 



