SOME FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 447 



the " travelling " eye was located. I sent it to Norwich Museum. 

 On Sept. 10th I met with another exactly like it in every 

 respect. Probably they were of the same brood. The first was 

 one foot in length, the second a line or two longer. 



Dead Eels by hundreds were seen at Oulton Broad, near 

 Lowestoft, floating on the surface. Various reasons were sug- 

 gested for the fatality, but undoubtedly the action of the acute 

 and continued heat upon subaqueous vegetation accounted for the 

 pollution of the waters ; and to pollution Eels are very sensitive. 



An immense quantity of " Herring-syle " was noted on Brey- 

 don and well up the local rivers during the hottest months ; 

 myriads of lively little fry, flashing like streaks of burnished 

 silver, freckled the waters as they turned, as might heavy rain- 

 drops. Early in September one of the marsh-ditches abutting 

 on to the Waveney was found to be fairly alive with them, 

 having come in with brackish water in company with numerous 

 small Perch {Perca fluviatilis). A friend of mine who was 

 "lamb-netting" secured as many as two thousand of these 

 young Herrings at one lift of the net. I have no doubt that 

 they either returned to the tidal waters when the sluice-gates 

 were re-opened to let out the surface-water, or most likely were 

 well-fished by the Herons, scores of which in summer alternate 

 their fishing operations for Eels and Flounders on Breydon with 

 spells in the ditches for Sticklebacks, small Pike, and other in- 

 habitants of different orders. 



A great many Scads {Trachurus trachurus), or " Horse- 

 Mackerel," were taken in the Herring-nets during the autumnal 

 fishing. These were variously sized, but invariably thrown 

 away. Dozens are kicked about on the quays, and numbers 

 thrown from the nets wash up on to the beach. There is a 

 strong local prejudice against the fish, and very few people will 

 trouble to cook it. I abstracted a fresh Scad from a basket of 

 Herrings, and, having washed and hung it to dry for a few 

 hours, had it skinned and fried. It was, to my mind, a very 

 savoury fish, and ate very much like a cross between a Mackerel 

 and a Weever ; the flesh was juicy and firm, and there was little 

 trouble from bones, which I cannot say of the Garfish (which I 

 also tried boiled, and found excellent eating), for tiny sharp- 

 pointed bones were a source of much annoyance. 



