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  OF 
  NEW 
  BOOKS. 
  395 
  

  

  winter 
  quarters 
  in 
  sheltered 
  nooks 
  and 
  crannies 
  where 
  they 
  

   have 
  resisted 
  the 
  winter's 
  gales, 
  and 
  they 
  spread 
  over 
  the 
  rock 
  

   like 
  a 
  devastating 
  army, 
  devouring 
  all 
  animal 
  matter 
  they 
  come 
  

   across 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  hadderlock, 
  or 
  henware, 
  grows 
  in 
  profusion 
  

   where 
  the 
  wash 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  is 
  most 
  constant, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  

   to 
  increase 
  a 
  foot 
  in 
  length 
  during 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  six 
  weeks. 
  And 
  

   so 
  from 
  month 
  to 
  month 
  there 
  is 
  always 
  something 
  fresh 
  to 
  

   chronicle 
  concerning 
  the 
  sea 
  and 
  its 
  living 
  creatures. 
  In 
  October 
  

   we 
  read 
  of 
  occasional 
  visits 
  by 
  feathered 
  migrants, 
  but 
  " 
  each 
  

   year 
  sees 
  a 
  decrease 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  arrivals 
  " 
  at 
  this 
  light- 
  

   house, 
  probably 
  owing 
  to 
  the 
  increased 
  number 
  of 
  lights 
  on 
  

   other 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  coast. 
  The 
  birds 
  usually 
  arrive 
  in 
  a 
  " 
  fagged 
  " 
  

   condition, 
  and 
  are 
  easily 
  captured. 
  " 
  A 
  Kestrel 
  landed 
  on 
  our 
  

   balcony-railing 
  during 
  fog, 
  and, 
  despite 
  the 
  explosion 
  of 
  our 
  

   fog-signals 
  twenty 
  feet 
  overhead, 
  tucked 
  his 
  head 
  under 
  his 
  

   wing 
  and 
  fell 
  sound 
  asleep." 
  Sometimes 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  strange 
  

   conclusions, 
  and 
  these 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  too 
  lightly 
  dismissed. 
  Thus 
  

   Mr. 
  Campbell 
  writes 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  When 
  fish 
  show 
  an 
  unusual 
  tenacity 
  of 
  

   life, 
  that 
  is, 
  after 
  being 
  gutted 
  and 
  cleaned, 
  exhibit 
  strong- 
  

   muscular 
  action 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  after, 
  this 
  phenomenon 
  in- 
  

   variably 
  precedes 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  some 
  kind 
  in 
  the 
  weather, 
  usually 
  

   more 
  wind 
  or 
  heavier 
  sea. 
  This 
  at 
  least 
  is 
  my 
  experience 
  from 
  

   several 
  years' 
  observations." 
  

  

  Frequent 
  reference 
  is 
  made 
  to 
  one 
  species 
  of 
  fish 
  — 
  the 
  

   " 
  Poddley 
  " 
  — 
  which 
  by 
  that 
  name 
  alone 
  may 
  be 
  unrecognized 
  

   by 
  some 
  readers. 
  We 
  are 
  always 
  interested 
  in 
  this 
  fish 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  

   the 
  first 
  sea-fish 
  we 
  captured 
  in 
  the 
  days 
  of 
  our 
  boyhood 
  on 
  the 
  

   coast 
  of 
  Fife, 
  where 
  young 
  fish 
  are 
  exceedingly 
  plentiful 
  ; 
  and 
  

   when 
  meeting 
  Fifeshire 
  men 
  — 
  sometimes 
  irreverently 
  called 
  

   "Whistlers" 
  — 
  abroad, 
  we 
  have 
  invariably 
  tested 
  their 
  know- 
  

   ledge 
  of 
  local 
  names 
  by 
  asking 
  them 
  if 
  they 
  knew 
  what 
  a 
  

   " 
  Poddley 
  " 
  was. 
  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  they 
  did 
  not 
  know 
  ! 
  Recognized 
  by 
  

   Couch 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  Podley," 
  by 
  Day 
  as 
  " 
  Podlie 
  " 
  and 
  " 
  Podling," 
  it 
  

   is 
  the 
  well-known 
  Gadus 
  virens, 
  or 
  CoalfiBh. 
  

  

  When 
  an 
  " 
  Assistant 
  Lightkeeper 
  " 
  can 
  observe 
  and 
  record 
  

   his 
  observations, 
  as 
  detailed 
  in 
  this 
  small 
  volume, 
  we 
  may 
  well 
  

   regret 
  the 
  immense 
  loss 
  of 
  unrecorded 
  natural 
  history 
  observa- 
  

   tion 
  that 
  yearly 
  dies 
  with 
  fishermen, 
  marshmen, 
  birdcatchers, 
  

   poachers, 
  gamekeepers, 
  and 
  other 
  men 
  of 
  no 
  "light 
  or 
  leading." 
  

  

  