The Zoologist — April, 1870. 2109 



isosceles in form, and tbiee-fourtbs of an inch long. Tlie fish was taken in a'giay 

 mullet net, in shallow water, off a sand-beach occurring in the midbt of a ran«;e of 

 precipitous cliffs having deep water close lo tbeni. This is the first specimen of this 

 fish I have met with here. I have had it preserved for our museam.— Thumas 

 Cornish; Penzance, March 4, 1870. 



Musical Fish. — While making an exploration in the bay of Pailon, situated to the 

 north of the province of Esmeraldas, in the republic of Ecuador, I was coasting along, 

 about sunset, when I suddenly heard a strange sound, extremely grave and prolonged. 

 At first I thought it came from a fly or hornet of extraordinary size. But seeing 

 nothing above me or in the neighbourhood, I asked the rower of my pirogue whence 

 the sound came. " Monsieur," he replied, " it is a fish wh.ich is singing thus. By some 

 it is named the Siren, by others, Musico." Having advanced a little further, I heard 

 a multitude of different voices, which harmonized together, imitating a church organ 

 to great perfection. I at once stopped the pirogue, and listened for a long while to 

 this singular music. It is not only in the Bay of Pailon that I have enjoyed this 

 phenomenon : it occurs in several places along the coast, and even still more markedly 

 in the river Mataje, especially at the fool of a little promontory called Campana (the 

 Bell). On going up higher than Capana, the traveller reaches Campanilla, where a 

 similar circumstance occurs. I have heard it said that, in the river Molino, an 

 aflluent of the Mataje, the same singing of fish has been heard. It is evident, there- 

 fore, that to whatever species these fish belong, they are capable of living in two 

 qualities of water ; inasmuch as that of the bay is purely salt, while that of the river is 

 brackish — at least, it mingles with the ocean only during tidal hours. The piscine 

 performers execute their music without being disturbed by the presence of boats, and 

 without showing themselves at the surface ol the water, and this during several 

 successive hours. One is surprised that so loud and distinct a sound can proceed 

 from an animal not more than ten inches long. The fish itself has nothing 

 particular in its external conformation to commend it. The colour is white, with 

 some bluish spots on the back ; at least, this is the fi^h which one catches with a hook 

 on the spot during a concert. It is towards sunset that the fishes begin to make them- 

 selves heard, and they continue their song during the night, imitating the notes of an 

 mgau very exactly, — as when one is near the door of a church, but outside, not inside 

 the sacred edifice. — Translated for ' Science Gossip' by the Rec. W. W. Spicer, from 

 a paper hy M. O. de Thoron, read before the Academic des Sciences. 



[Several papers on this interesting subject have appeared in earlier volumes of the 

 ' Zoologist : ' I may especially refer to one quoted at p. 7237 of the original series. — 

 Edward Newman,'] 



Proceedings of the Entomological Society. 



February 21, 1870. — A. E. Wallace, Esq., President, in the chair. 



Donations to the Library. 



The foUowiug douations were announced, and thanks voted to the donors : — 



' Additions to the Tenebriouidae of Australia,' hy F. P. Pascoe ; ' Catalogus 



Methodicus et Syuonymicus Hemipteroruin Heteropteroruin Italias indigena- 



rum,' by Dr. Antonio Garbiglietti ; ' Ueber Parthenogenesis bei Polistes gallica, 



