NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 313 
Four-toothed Sparus, Dentex vulgaris, taken in Mount’s Bay. The most 
striking characteristic was the beautiful mother-of-pearl appearance of all 
the scales. Over the back above the lateral line they were rosy pink 
mottled with blue, on the sides pink, gradually becoming white on the 
belly. The distinctive teeth were present, recurved, and—what I do not 
observe noticed in the books—grooved throughout their length, thus giving 
an appearance of great strength. The jaws were so rigid that I had some 
difficulty in opening the mouth, suggesting great power in the muscles 
which worked them. The eye was high in the head, and, for one of the 
Sparide, small. The scales were large, and there were none on the nose, 
nor on the suborbital space. Its dimensions were:—Length over all, 
Tit. 6in.; eye to fork, 11% in.; greatest depth at the base of dorsal, 52 in. 
breadth, 2in.; length of Tenis 4¢in. The lateral line started from aie 
top of the peeradidti in a curious agglomeration of small scales,—not 
exactly a spot, because they were of the same colour as the other scales,— 
and was very conspicuous throughout its whole length, but was scarcely 
perceptible to the touch. In the dorsal fin the third ray was the longest of 
the spinous rays. Couch makes the fifth ray longest, but he is mistaken, 
and so is Yarrell in putting a small rudimentary ray in front of the dorsal. 
The caudal fin was a very powerful one. The specimen turned the scale at 
two pounds seven ounces. The fish had a remarkably strong smell, which 
communicated itself to one’s hands on examining it. The specimen will be 
lodged in the museum at St. Michael’s Mount.—T. Cornisa (Penzance). 
ARCHZ OLOGY. 
Folk-lore anent the Weasel.—In the ‘Vicar of Wakefield,’ Oliver 
Goldsmith puts into the mouth of Dr. Primrose the following curious 
expression, ‘‘ My wife was usually fond of a weesel-skin purse, as being 
most lucky; but this by the bye.” Can any correspondent explain the 
allusion? Why was the “ weesel-skin” considered lucky? and is the 
notion still prevalent ?—-J. E. Harrine. 
NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 
A Naturalist’s Wanderings in the Eastern Archipelago: a Narrative 
of Travel and Exploration from 1878 to 1888. By H. O. 
Forpres, F.R.G.S. 8vo, pp. 586. London: Sampson 
Low & Co., 1885. 
AutHoucH the writings of Mr. A. R. Wallace have admirably 
payed the way in describing the characteristic fauna and flora of 
ZOOLOGIST.— AUGUST, 1885, 2B 
