THE LAMPREY. 265 



The old man who brought it to me says he has been fishing " all his life" 

 in the bay, and never saw a fish of this kind before. On questioning him 

 particularly about its being at the surface of the water, with the fin ap- 

 pearing above, he stated that it positively was so. He imagines that the 

 " surging of the boat " may have made it rise to the top of the water. 



3Iay loth, 1849. A specimen which I saw with Dr. R. Ball was taken 

 to-day at the Pigeon House, Dublin Bay. One was obtained from the 

 Liffey a few years ago, by Dr. B. He has not observed this species at 

 Youghal. 



Several correspondents have favoured me with notes of the occurrence 

 of the lamprey in the Shannon. The Rev. Charles Mayne of Killaloe 

 informed me in 1838 that they are seen there from about 10th of June 

 to the end of that month, but not afterwards ; weight from 1 to 3 lbs. ; 

 price from 5d. to \Qd. per couple. 



In Tighes Kilkenmi (p. 156) it is remarked: — "Lampreys, which are 

 often taken, and justly esteemed as a delicacy in many other places, are 

 constantly thrown away by the fishermen, and not even kept as bait." 



They are not brought to Belfast market. 



Mr. 3I'CaUa supplied the following note, in Sejjt., 1840. "Lampreys 

 (but I don't know what sp.) are found in L. Corrib, and several of the 

 streams that run into it." Those in the streams running in, except about 

 their mouths, are probably of the smaller species. 



Li 1838, Captain Fayrer sent me from Portpatrick a small specimen 

 about 6 inches long, which was taken adhering to the back of a cod- 

 fish. 



The Lampern, or River Lamprey, PetromyzonJiiwiatiUs, Linn., 



Is found from North to South of the island. 



Found adhering to other fishes and devouring them. 



I was anxious to get a specimen of this fish from Lough Neagh, for 

 the purpose of ascertaining whether it was this sp. or small individuals 

 of the P. marinus, which latter is known to attack other fishes in the 

 manner described, and eventually was successful in Sept., 1843, when Mr. 

 Hyndman obtained in a fishing boat at L. Neagh a P. JluviatiUs, about 

 a foot in length, which he was told was taken adhering to a large trout : 

 he brought me this lamprey. 



In a large deep pond made for gold-fish at the Falls, near Belfast, a 

 portion of the surface of which was covered with the leaves of the White 

 Water Lily, I observed, on a warm day in summer, an extraordinary ap- 

 pearance, caused, as I believed, by this species. To the under surface of each 

 floating leaf of the plant several (in some instances so many as a dozen) 

 lampreys, about a foot in length, the adult size of this sp., attached them- 

 selves by the mouth, while the wriggling of their dangling bodies had a 

 strange effect. They were too far from the edge to be captured by any 

 available means, but I have no doubt that they were all full-grown indi- 

 viduals of this species. 



Dr. Ball obtained a specimen about 10 inches long, taken in the sea, 

 at Youghal. Robert Callwcll, Esq., captured one, on 1st April, 1835, in 

 a river flowing into Glendalough, County Wicklow. I have examined 

 the two specimens last referred to. 



