The Zoologist — June, 1874. 4037 



pair of wigeon also flying about and swimming on the water, and I saw the 

 drake again this morning. — W. Taylor ; Chad Road, Edghaston, Apil 29. 



Lumpsaclier and Whiff off the Cornish €oast.— I have to record the 

 occurrence at Sennen Cove of two male specimens of the lumpsucker, 

 usually known as " red lump-fish" (CycZo^:)?en(s /hotj'jh.s). They were sent 

 to me by Mr. John Symons, jun., in whose trammels they were taken. The 

 female, or " blue lump-fish," is not uncommon, but I consider the male rare. 

 I have to-day received from a trawler three specimens of " the carter," or 

 "whiff," or "lantern" [Rhombus megastoma, Yarrell). Couch (and Yarrell 

 quoting him) speaks of this fish as not uncommon in Cornwall, as frequently 

 taken on a line, and as living inshore on a sandy bottom, — all three of 

 which qualities I doubt. I have never in all my fishing taken one, or seen 

 one taken, on a Hue, nor in shallow water, and I have altogether seen very few 

 indeed. The large prominent eye of the fish seems to me in itself sufficient 

 to prove its deep-sea habitat. — Thomas Cornish; Penzance, May 9, 1874. 



The Species of Mackerel. — On the 14th instant I came across from 

 Scilly in the steamer which brings over the mackerel for the London 

 market. The fishing-boats reached the islands late in the day, and most 

 of the fish were consequently placed on board the steamer in bulk, and 

 were washed and packed on the voyage. I attached myself to one set of 

 packers, and saw fi"om twelve to fifteen thousand fish pass through their 

 hands, all large fish. The result of my inspection is a strong opinion that, 

 so far as outward differences are concerned, the distinction between the 

 common mackerel [Scomher Scomber), the dotted mackerel [S. imnctatxis, 

 Couch), and the scribbled mackerel [S. scriptus, Couch), cannot be main- 

 tained, and I should include the Spanish mackerel [S. Colias) in the list, 

 but for its size. In the lot which I watched there were fish of every grade 

 of marking, and a large per-centage having the sharp-pointed head attributed 

 by Couch to the Spanish mackerel. I have no doubt that I could have 

 picked out four fish, each of which should answer precisely to the description 

 of one of the four fish mentioned above, and differing each largely from the 

 other three ; but I could have supplied the gaps between them with variety 

 after variety until no one should be able to say where one species began and 

 the other ended.— Id. ; May 16, 1874. 



An Octopus at Plymouth. — On the 28th of April my friend Mr. Cummins, 

 of Plymouth, kindly presented me with a fine living octopus, which he had 

 that day caught from his yacht in a trawl-net near the Breakwater in 

 Plymouth Sound. I immediately had it conveyed to Mr. Rogers, who 

 furnishes marine animals for the Aquarium at the Crystal Palace, to which 

 place he forwarded it, I believe, the next day. — John Gatcombe ; 8, Lower 

 Durnford Street, Stonehouse, May 7, 1874. 



SECOND SERIES — VOL. IX. 2 a 



