268 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



markings and colour ; and this great difference I thought indicated that 

 the clutch was tbe joint production of the two female birds. — Murray A. 

 Mathew (Stone Hall, Haverfordwest). 



Firecrest in Yorkshire. — Messrs. Clarke and Roebuck, in their 

 « Handbook of Yorkshire Vertebrata,' remark (p. 22) that the Firecrest is 

 a casual visitant to the county, and of extremely rare occurrence in winter. 

 In December, 1880, I noticed at Clifton, near York, a pair of what I 

 thought at the time were Golden-crested Wrens, Regulus crlstatm, but on 

 shooting one I discovered it to be the Firecrest, R. ignicapillus. — W. 

 Hewett (York). 



On the Food of the Herring. — At page 235 T remarked that 

 small Sand Launces (Ammodytes) formed the food of the Herrings 

 which were being captured off Mevagissey. On the night of June 9th 

 some thousands were landed at the same place, haviug been taken about 

 eight miles from land near the surface of the sea, where they appeared to 

 be feeding on young fish. Mr. Matthias Dunn, observing that they were 

 all crammed with one kind of fry, kindly placed the contents of one stomach 

 in spirit and forwarded it to me. I found the whole or portions of about 

 thirty-five small fish, the largest being an inch and a half in length, and to 

 my surprise observed that they were almost entirely composed of the 

 gobioid Crystallogobiiis Nilssonii, of which only a single example has been 

 recorded from the British Isles, and which was captured by Mr. Edward, of 

 Banff, in May, 1808. The large canines and persistent preraaxillary and 

 mandibular teeth were very distiuct, also the large broad-based pectoral fin, 

 the disk-like ventrals, and two spines only in the first dorsal fin, rendering 

 identification easy. I however wrote to Mr. Dunn, who has kindly sent 

 me more, which fully confirm my first views. These fish were filled 

 with the remains of small Crustacea (not yet examined). I do not propose 

 at present to discuss how these fish, usually believed to be almost 

 restricted to the coasts of Norway and Sweden, may have been brought to 

 our shores by currents or in pursuit of food. Still it is worth considering 

 whether the Herrings may not have followed these Gobies from higher 

 latitudes, as the Gobies have pursued their small prey. There is also 

 another question that I hardly consider solved. Herr Collett, from 

 whose investigations most of what we know of these fishes is derived, con- 

 sidered them annual vertebrates, or fish which haviug spawned die. 

 Among the last batch of specimens received from Mr. Dunn are some very 

 young ones, a little thicker in the body than horse-hair, also every inter- 

 mediate size up to an inch and a-half in length, but no spawning fish, nor I 

 believe spawned fish. It is very remarkable how such forms should be 

 taken so far from the coast, and only shows how much we have yet to 



