272 The Zoologist— June, 1866 



Lesser Tern and Black Tern nt IVeslon-svper-Mare. — Terns and divers are always 

 rare visilors to our nunldy sea, whose waters are loo thick for iheni to fish in, and it 

 was therefore quite a surprise to me this morning to see the lesser tern and black tern 

 in ibe fishnionfrtr's shoj), in company with some whinibiel. I purchased live exum|iles 

 of each species of tern in full adull plumage. They had heen shut near this town the 

 day before. — Murray A. Mathew ; Weston-super-Mare, May 4, IH66. 



Black Tern in Snmersels/iire. — There have been several black terns seen in the. 

 marsh this year, especially iu the neighbourhood of Sed;;moor: I have heard of as 

 many as thirty being seen at one time. I saw two specimens at Mrs. Turle's, the 

 birdstuffer, at Taunton, on the 14th of April, and two more on the ^Sth, which latter 

 are novv in my collection. All four were in full summer plumage, and had been killed 

 on Sedgmoor a few days before I saw them. — Cecil Smith; Lydeard House, May 7, 

 186rt. 



Whiting taken in Mackerel Drift-nets. — On two consecutive nights this week a 

 solitary full-sized whiting has been tiiken in the mackerel drift-nets close up to the corks. 

 The oldest fisherman in the Bay does not recollect such an occurrence before. It 

 shows that, for some reason or other, whiting sometimes swim close to the surface. — 

 Thomas Cornish ; Penzunce, April 21, liSl)6. 



Tadpole Fish in Mount's Buy. — I had brought to me last week a specimen of the 

 trifurcated halle or tadpole fish, of which I noted the occurrence of three specimens in 

 the Bay in 1864. This specimen was a small one, fi^ inches over all. Noticeable as 

 affording presumptive evidence that the fish breeds somewhere in the Bay.— Id, ; 

 May 14, 1866. 



Habits of the Common Crab (Carcinas msenas). — I have only just observed an 

 interesting note by Mr. Parfitt, in your January number (S. S. 8), on the longevity of 

 the Carcinas msenas when kept out of water. 1 can add something on the subject of 

 its habits. On the 3rd of March, 1862, I was present when the River Slour above 

 Julian's Bridge, at Wimborne, Dorsetshire, was netted. The water fished was twelve 

 miles above all tidal inUuence, and between it and the sea were four complete weirs 

 and two rolling bays. There was no salt water nearer th m Poole Harbour, which is 

 distant four or five miles at least in the straight line. I then saw caught, and myself 

 removed from the net, an adult specimen of Carcinas mjenas. I carried it in my 

 pocket, wrapped up in a glove, for about two hours, and then placed it in cotton-wool 

 in an ordinary chip-box, with some cray-fish caught at the same lime, and I sent the 

 lot by post to the late Mr. R. Q. Couch, of this place. He received them twenty-six 

 hours alter their capture, and about twenty-fnur hours after they had been wrapped in 

 cotton-wool. The two cray-fish were dead, but the Carcinas maenas was alive, and, 

 recognizing the species, but never dreaming that it came from fresh water, he at once 

 plunged it into his salt-water vivarium, where it very shortly died. I noted these facts 

 to the 'Field,' iu my annual fish list, published on the 7th of March, 1863, and 

 curiously enough found my statement challenged, on the authority of something 

 Mr. Couch had written previously to the occurrence of the incident above named. — 

 Thomas Cornish. 



