﻿NOTICES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  BOOKS. 
  355 
  

  

  tongue, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  terms 
  and 
  definitions 
  are 
  concerned 
  ; 
  and 
  we 
  

   really 
  believe 
  that 
  even 
  the 
  excursionist, 
  who 
  knows 
  his 
  river 
  so 
  

   well, 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  know 
  more 
  of 
  its 
  inhabitants, 
  but 
  is 
  under 
  

   the 
  impression 
  that 
  such 
  information 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  

   wise 
  and 
  prudent 
  with 
  scientific 
  training, 
  and 
  is 
  fain 
  to 
  think 
  

   that 
  a 
  purely 
  technical 
  jargon 
  always 
  represents 
  knowledge. 
  

   And 
  thus 
  the 
  great 
  democracy, 
  with 
  its 
  angling, 
  gardening, 
  bird 
  

   and 
  beast 
  keeping 
  proclivities, 
  is 
  generally 
  without 
  the 
  least 
  

   biological 
  knowledge 
  that 
  can 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  be 
  called 
  scientific 
  ! 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Murie 
  resides 
  at 
  Leigh, 
  and 
  this 
  little-known 
  fishing 
  station 
  

   can 
  now 
  rank 
  among 
  those 
  localities 
  enshrined 
  in 
  the 
  literature 
  

   of 
  natural 
  history. 
  The 
  story 
  of 
  its 
  evolution 
  from 
  a 
  fishing 
  

   village 
  to 
  a 
  fishing 
  station 
  is 
  related, 
  and 
  just 
  as 
  most 
  sportsmen 
  

   have 
  an 
  unrecorded 
  warm 
  corner 
  in 
  their 
  hearts 
  for 
  the 
  poacher, 
  

   so 
  the 
  hardy 
  fisherman 
  will 
  feel 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  the 
  story 
  of 
  

   " 
  Smugglers 
  and 
  Coastguard," 
  as 
  told 
  in 
  this 
  volume. 
  

  

  A 
  mass 
  of 
  information 
  is 
  contributed 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  life-habits, 
  

   including 
  migration, 
  of 
  the 
  fishes 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Thames 
  Estuary. 
  

   The 
  enumeration 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  vertebrates 
  and 
  invertebrates 
  

   that 
  constitute 
  what 
  is 
  generally 
  called 
  Whitebait 
  is 
  very 
  ample. 
  

   The 
  River 
  Lamprey 
  (Petromyzon 
  fluviatilis) 
  is 
  common, 
  and 
  we 
  

   well 
  remember 
  taking 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  fish 
  in 
  the 
  Ravensbourne, 
  near 
  

   Ladywell, 
  many 
  years 
  ago. 
  The 
  Sturgeon 
  can 
  scarcely 
  now 
  be 
  

   considered 
  a 
  Thames 
  fish, 
  though 
  one 
  was 
  landed 
  near 
  West- 
  

   minster 
  Bridge, 
  in 
  1867, 
  which 
  measured 
  7 
  ft. 
  in 
  length, 
  and 
  

   weighed 
  60 
  lb. 
  The 
  Bass, 
  beloved 
  by 
  sea-anglers, 
  still 
  ascends 
  

   the 
  estuary, 
  and 
  is 
  sometimes 
  caught 
  at 
  Southend 
  Pier-head. 
  

   " 
  For 
  several 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  in 
  the 
  Thames 
  estuary 
  and 
  

   the 
  creeks 
  along 
  the 
  Essex 
  coast, 
  Herrings 
  of 
  various 
  ages 
  and 
  

   stages 
  of 
  growth 
  muster 
  in 
  considerable 
  force." 
  

  

  Of 
  Mollusca, 
  we 
  read 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  Essex 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  Thames 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  oldest 
  oystermen 
  recall 
  in 
  mind 
  when 
  self-raised 
  

   native 
  Oysters 
  were 
  regularly 
  taken 
  in 
  fair 
  numbers 
  inside 
  the 
  

   old 
  Leigh-Middle, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  Marshend 
  side 
  (Canvey) 
  of 
  the 
  

   Channel. 
  Leigh 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  centre 
  of 
  the 
  cockling 
  (Cardiidce) 
  

   trade 
  ; 
  the 
  largest 
  Cockles 
  which 
  Dr. 
  Murie 
  has 
  examined 
  came 
  

   from 
  Whitstable 
  Bay, 
  and 
  the 
  united 
  shells 
  of 
  one 
  — 
  dried 
  after 
  

   cooking 
  — 
  measured 
  If 
  in. 
  (over) 
  transversely, 
  and 
  1£ 
  in. 
  long 
  

   diameter, 
  and 
  lj 
  in. 
  thick. 
  But 
  we 
  must 
  not 
  quote 
  further 
  

  

  