THE ZooLoGist—SePTEMBER, 1876. 5087 
farm of a Mr. Yapp, of Cradley, near Malvern. I wonder that the present 
curator of Worcester Museum, who knows me, has not answered this 
question — William H. Heaton; Meadow Croft, Reigate, Aug. 15, 1876. 
Short Sunfish On Wednesday, the 16th instant a specimen of this rare 
and strange fish was delivered at this Aquarium. It was captured on the 
Trish coast, near Ardglass, by Mr. J. M‘Dougall, of St. Ninian’s, and for- 
warded by Mr. James Smyth, of Ardglass, carefully packed in a crate of 
straw. Mr. Smyth assures me that, “although this specimen was inspected 
- by over a thousand English, Scotch and Irish fishermen, not one could tell 
what it was.” This is not to be wondered at, when we consider that, on an 
average, perhaps only three specimens of the same fish are reported yearly. 
The short sunfish (Orthagoriscus mola) of all our British fishes is perhaps 
the most remarkable in shape. Its abruptly terminating body and rigid 
dorsal and anal fins, like acute triangles projecting above and below, give 
the sunfish the appearance of having been deprived of its posterior portions, 
making it look as though it were ouly half its former self. The specimen, 
which is of a fair average size, measures from the nose to the end of the 
caudal fin three feet six inches; the whole vertical height, including the 
dorsal and anal fins, is four feet ten inches. The pectoral fins are very 
small, and situated immediately behind the orifice of the branchial cavity, 
which is also small. The eye is exceedingly large, and moveable in its 
socket ; it is provided with a protective cellular membrane, behind which 
the eye-ball is withdrawn when dangerously threatened. The skin is thick, 
rough, tough, and wrinkled. The colour is dark gray or blackish on back 
and fins, yellowish straw to dusky white on sides and belly. The fin-rays 
are in number—dorsal, seventeen; anal, seventeen; pectoral, thirteen. 
It may derive the name of “sunfish” from its somewhat rounded shape, 
or from its colour when seen lying on its side on the surface of the water, 
or from its habit of basking. Some fishermen assert that when captured 
this fish utters a grunting sound, which circumstance, coupled with the 
appearance of mouth and eyes, may have warranted the scientific appellation 
* Orthagoriscus,” which in the Greek means “little pig.” It is now being 
so preserved that it may be permanently shown in the Aquarium.—Ernest 
E. Barker ; Rothesay Aquarium, August 19, 1876. 
Large Conger.—It may be worth recording that there was caught here 
this morning (July 21st), in one of the salmon nets, a conger which weighed 
fifty-eight pounds and a half, and measured six feet three inches in total 
length. Most of the fishermen of this port who saw it tell me that it is the 
largest which they have ever come across; but one, a most intelligent and 
trustworthy man, says that he caught one here some years ago which 
measured over seven feet, and was computed to weigh over seventy pounds. 
