XXIV 
and Hull and Copenhagen, which he had prepared from observa- 
tions kindly furnished to him by some gentlemen of Hull. These 
Charts showed that the Winter Temperature of the German 
‘Ocean is from 6 to 8 degrees lower than that of the open sea 
around our western shores. 
Dr. BARHAM read the following communications in Natural 
History, which had been received by him :— 
From Mr. Thomas Cornish, Penzance ; 11th May, 1872. 
“Your specimen of Raniceps trifurcatus is a good one, and of full size. 
The pectoral tubercles are well developed, but will probably be lost to 
sight when the specimen dries. At present they are plainly to be seen. I 
see I took my first specimen in April, 1863, in shallow water with rocky 
bottom. And in the same month, another was taken, among some loose 
stones at the back of our Pier, by rod and line. I took it again in the Spring 
of 1866; and I got another specimen, last year. It formerly ranked as one 
of the Gobioide, and although now properly classed among the Gadide, it 
has many characteristics in common with the Blennies. I consider it a rare 
fish on our coasts.—Did Mr. Fox notice the peculiar grinding or crushing 
apparatus in the gullet, consisting of four large hard tubercles covered with 
teeth, very similar to those of a Ray?” 
From Mr. Charles Fox, Trebah ; 16th May, 1872. 
‘‘ Many thanks for thy letter, with a copy of T. Cornish’s valuable notice 
of Tadpole fishes which he had taken. It is remarkable that within a few 
years several of the rarer fishes, Trichiurus lepturus, Sparus Bodps, and 
Raniceps trifurcatus, have been taken on our coast. Yarrel has no notice 
of the Trichiurus lepturus having been caught. 
“In the Autumn fishery, large quantities of Anchovies (60 maunds at a 
time) were taken at St. Ives, in the pilchard seines. The Italians would 
have valued such a catch. 
‘“‘ As IT cannot have the pleasure of being present at the Meeting of the 
Royal Institution of Cornwall on the 18th, I enclose some observations on 
the Tadpole fisn. 
“The last Journal of the Society gives fresh evidence of the variety, 
instruction, and permanent interest of its Transactions.” 
“The Tadpole fish, Raniceps trifurcatus, of the Gadide family, which 
I have the pleasure of presenting to the Museum of the Royal Institution 
of Cornwall, was caught in a net in Helford Harbour, on- the 3rd instant. 
It has been rarely taken except on the Cornish coast. Bloch does not 
mention it in his great work on Fishes (Berlin, 1786). The late diligent and 
accurate ichthyologist, Jonathan Couch, seems to have met with only one 
specimen. Dr. Johnstone exhibited a live one to the Newcastle Naturalist 
Society in 1832; it was caught in Berwick Bay. But your able contributor, 
T. Cornish of Penzance, informs Dr. Barham that he had taken this fish in 
Mount’s Bay in April, 1863; another in 1866 (also in the spring)’; and a 
third in 1871. The colour of the present specimen when caught was black 
as that of a Tadpole, which it much resembles in form about the head, &c. 
The eyes are singularly dark. Its appearance is such, that even if served 
with the finest ‘‘ Natives” as sauce, it would hardly supplant at table its 
well-known relative the Codfish. There are numerous small teeth on the 
