312 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
Rare Fishes off Aberdeen.—I recorded and figured in the ‘ Proceedings 
of the Zoological Society’ for 1884 the first species of Lumpenus lampetri- 
formis obtained in Great Britain. It was a male 10.7 inches long, captured 
trawling by Prof. M‘Intosh, fifteen miles off St. Abb’s Head. On June 20th 
I received a letter from Mr. Sim, of Aberdeen, inclosing a sketch of a fish 
which had become entangled in the net of a steam trawler, and which 
specimen he was good enough to forward for my inspection. It is a female 
of the same species 8-6 inches in length, in which the caudal fin differs 
from that of the male example in that its form is lanceolate. The second 
specimen, which I received at the same time from Mr. Sim, was that of a 
Gadiculus argenteus, Guichenot, which was cast up on the beach after a 
slight storm on the 18th April last. To this latter fish a considerable 
amount of interest attaches itself. Pertaining to a genus whose habitat is 
considered intermediate between the littoral and deep-sea zones, I have 
been in doubt whether it has or has not been previously obtained off our 
shores. Couch labelled a fish of this species from the ‘ Porcupine’ Expe- 
dition as Macrourus linearis, and which is in the British Museum collection. 
Of it he wrote as follows :—‘‘ Much resembling a Whiting, but shorter in 
proportion to its depth and with a much larger eye. Caught from a depth 
of 183 fathoms, muddy ground, 54° 10’ N. and 10° 59’ W. Length about 
six inches; no barb; the head short, eye large, mouth capacious, teeth 
small, dorsal fins three, anal two, tail a little concave, colour in spirit pale 
yellow. If we can suppose that a Whiting can live at such a depth, we 
can suppose also that the eye might become larger and the body rather 
shorter, proportionally, but otherwise it is a distinct species and yet nearly 
alike; but from the latitude, and especially the longitude, it is scarcely a 
British fish.” I should have deemed a fish from such a spot undoubtedly 
British, but as I was not quite sure whether Mr. Laughrin, who had been 
in charge of the fish collection in the ‘ Porcupine’ Expedition, might not 
have inadvertently mixed up Mediterranean forms with those from higher 
latitudes, and as Gadiculus argenteus originally was obtained from the coast 
of Algiers, I wrote to him on the subject. However, he would only reply 
that “I do not think he [Mr. Couch] had any of the Mediterranean fish ; 
I cannot remember, it is so long ago.” It is very interesting being able, 
after so many years’ interval, to adduce corroborative evidence as to this 
fish being entitled to a position in the British fish-fauna, the ‘ Porcupine’ 
specimen haying been obtained on the west coast of Ireland, Mr. Sim’s 
on the east coast of Scotland. The specimen is 3:3 inches in length, 
D. 11/13/15, A. 16/16, L.1.56. There is a dark spot at the base of 
the anterior rays of the first and second dorsal fins.—Francis Day 
(Cheltenham). 
Dentex vulgaris in Mount’s Bay.—I received this morning (11th 
July), two hours after capture, a small but very good specimen of the 
