THE ZOOLOGIST 



FOR 



1868. 



Notes from Flamborough. By John Cordeaux, Esq. 

 (Continued from Zool. S. S. 101 1.) 



October 15. A narrow rocky beach, exposed at low water, skirts the 

 foot of the headland. This reef is covered with a dense mattress of 

 sea-tangle and bladder-weed, broken up and intersected by narrow 

 channels and pools of salt and brackish water, for several fresh-water 

 springs rise between high and low-water marks. Many of these rock- 

 pools contained fish, saud-launce and a small species of goby, and 

 several of those ferocious-looking little monsters, Cottus scorpius. I 

 made several attempts to capture some sand-launce, a d was invariably 

 baffled by the nimble little fish burying themselves in the sand, which 

 feat they accomplished with amazing dexterity. Myriads of sea- 

 snails (Nerita) were crawling over the dank sea-tangle. The common 

 dog-whelk {Nassa reticulata) is everywhere extremely abundant, and 

 makes sad inroads into the mussel preserves. These mussels, which 

 are used for baiting the fishing-lines, are brought from the Norfolk 

 coast. The native mussel, found on these rocks near low-water mark, 

 is extremely small and quite unfit for bait. Great pains are taken to 

 keep these imported mussels safe from the attack of the dog-whelk, 

 and women and children are employed, from time to lime, in picking 

 off these predacious mollusks, otherwise every shell would in time be 

 emptied of its contents. On looking over oue of these beds I found 

 several of these destructive whelks quietly at work, closely attached 

 to the bivalves. They bore a minute and perfectly circular hole 

 through his hard shell, through which they suck out the life and 

 substance of the helpless creature. Saw but i'ew birds on the shore 

 this morning, except the lively rock pipit (here particularly abundant), 

 kitlivvakes, hooded crows and a scoter. 



SECOND SECIES — VOL. III. B 



