SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 155 



perished there, to my great regret. It was not there long, but long enough 

 for the skin to dry and to resist all attempts at resuscitation.— Martin 

 Snape (Spring Garden Cottage, Forton, Gosport). 



FISHES. 



Plain Surmullet on the Devonshire Coast.— At the latter end of the 

 year 1885 a present of some thirty Red Mullet was sent me by a friend at 

 Dartmouth. Being struck by their evenness and smallness of size, — no 

 fish measuring more than six inches, — and vividness of colouring, I sent 

 specimens to Mr. Thomas Cornish, of Penzance, who kindly identified 

 them for me as being the Plain Surmullet, Mullios harbatus. On referring 

 to Yarrell's ' British Fishes' (1859), I find this particular fish described as 

 a rare visitor to our shores. Last winter I again received specimens from 

 Torbay, and now, a few days ago, I had others sent with an accompanying 

 note that " those sent are a sample of numbers just caught by a Brixham 

 trawler, the bulk of which have gone to supply other markets." Can you 

 explain why this once uncommon fish on our shores now appears in 

 comparison plentiful, and at this season of the year only?— Edmund 

 Elliot (Tresillian, Kingsbridge, South Devon). 



[In the opinion of many ichthyologists Mullus harbatus is merely the 

 male of Mullus surnmlletus, and always smaller than the female. See 

 Dr. Giinther's 'Introduction to the Study of Fishes,' p. 404. The number 

 of small-sized individuals caught together, as above stated, suggests that 

 the shoals in question were probably composed of immature fish. — Ed.] 



SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES. 



LiNNEAN Society of London. 



March 3, 1887.— Wm. Carruthers, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



The following gentlemen were elected Fellows of the Society :— B. S. 

 Dyer, Right Hon. Sir E. Fry, S. G. Klein, C. Maries, E. S. Marshall, 

 R. Morgan, J. B. Stone, and A. W. Tait. 



No zoological papers were read, but two on botanical subjects dealt 

 with the genetic affinities and classification of the AlgcB, by A. W. Bennett, 

 and a fungoid disease of Colocasia esculenta, by G. Massie and D. Morris. 



March 17, 1887.— Wm. Caruuthers, F.R.S., President, in the chair. 



Mr. Francis J. Briant, Mr. J. Errington de la Croit, and Mr. W. West 

 were elected Fellows of the Society. 



Mr. C. B. Clarke, F.R.S., was elected into the Council in the place of 

 Dr. H. Trimen, resigned. 



