4160 The Zoologist — September, 1874. 



settle on the backs of two of tliem ; they got within six inches, when the 

 ducks, not seeming to relish the idea of such strange jockeys, flapped along 

 the water, thus frustrating their design. The sandpipei-s, after two or three 

 more rounds, tried to do the same thing on two more of the ducks, but 

 were baulked again the same way as before ; so, seeing that it was no good, 

 they flew to the bottom end of the lake, about a quarter of a mile away, and 

 dropped on some stones which arc put to keep the banks from washing 

 away. — J. Whitaker; Rainworth Lodge, 7iear Mansfield, Notts. 



Salmon in the Rlrer Coqoet in the last Century.— As the abundance 

 of salmon in former times is an interesting subject, I subjoin an extract 

 from a letter in my possession, dated " Warkworth, 5 September, 1764." 

 The writer states that he is staying within sight of the " River called 

 Coquet-water, abounding with salmon, which was sold this season for a 

 penny a pound ; they sometimes catch two hundred at one hawl." — J. H. 

 Gurney ; Northrepps, July 30, 187-4. 



Salmon Pcal attacked by a Garfisli.— One of our fishermen, a few days 

 since met with much difficulty in taking a salmon-peal from his net; on 

 looking for the reason he saw what he supposed to be the ends of a piece 

 of stick protruding on each side of the fish, but on extracting and examining 

 it he found it to be the under jaw of a garfish, known locally as a "long- 

 nose." There can be no doubt the garfish attacked the peal, rushing on 

 it with sufficient force to thrust the under jaw completely through the peal, 

 which must have broken off either by the force of the blow or by the 

 struggles of each fish to free itself. The peal, which weighed nearly four 

 pounds, was struck behind and just above the pectoral fin, the jaw of the 

 garfisli thus passing through the thickest part of the peal, requiring — if we 

 compare the weight of a swordfish to that of a garfish — even greater velocity 

 of attack in the latter to cause so great a penetration through a fish than it 

 would in the former to penetrate many inches of oak-plank. — Stephen Clogg. 



DmttMiigs of Sncutifit ^^nctus. 



Entomological Society of London. 



Jidy 6, 1874. — Sir Sidney Smith Saunders, C.M.G., President, in 

 the chair. 



Donations to the Library. 



The following donations were announced, and thanks voted to the 

 donors : — ' Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France,' ser. 5, tome iii. ; 



