FISH-NOTEH FROM QUE AT YAUMOUTH. 15 



majority of our fiBhermen arc on war service in some Unm or 

 other, and practically all the young men have gone." 



Mr. Cooper mentions the capture of four five-bearded liockling 

 (Motella mustel(i) by rod; this six'cies has been somewhat 

 frequently hooked of late. " A female Gemmeous Dragonet or 

 Skulpin (Cdllionyinus hjra) and several Unctuous Suckers 

 {Liparis vidf/aris) in the fish-trawls." Sand Dabs (PleuronecteH 

 limanda) were numerous in the Bay during the summer months. 

 He descrihes the early winter sea-angling for Whitings and 

 Codlings as " very poor, and no big fish." 



Large Bream. — A large Bream {Ahramis hrama) was caught 

 in the Wensum, four miles from Norwich, on December 5th, and 

 was exhibited in Mr. R. Marsham's tackle-shop window, in the 

 city, by whom it was afterwards sent to the Fish Department of 

 the British (Natural History) Museum. Mr. C. Tate Piegan, on an 

 examination of the scales, suggested its age at about fifteen years. 

 A well-known angling expert describes the fish as "a perfect 

 dream." The fish, which had succumbed to the wiles of a paste bait, 

 weighed 7 lb. 14^ oz. Lubbock (' Fauna of Norfolk ') described a 

 Bream of 5 lb. as "a very large one." An example was recorded 

 by the late Mr. J.H. Gurney, senr., taken at Cossey, near Norwich, 

 many years ago, as weighing 7 lb. 1 oz., with a length of 25^ in. ; 

 depth, 8^ in. The late Dr. Norman, in the seventies, caught one 

 weighing 8 lb. 12 oz. ; and the late Dr. John Lowe (Norfolk 

 Nats'. 'Trans.,' 1884) records a Bream of llMb. taken at Beeston 

 Regis on June 17th, 1879, and another at Thorpe, near Norwich, 

 on the 23rd, weighing 8f lb. It is probable this last is identical 

 with that taken by Dr. Norman, but I have not been able to 

 verify this opinion, although Dr. Day (' British Fishes ') suggests 

 it. The llg- pounder was estimated by Day to be twenty-six 

 years old, but Seeley (' British Fresh Water Fishes ') places it at 

 fifty years. 



Writing to me on February 7th Dr. Laver, of Colchester, thus 

 refers to Sprats used as manure : " Sprats always interest me, 

 even when sold for manure. ... It was the custom for our 

 [Essex] stow-boat men to go out and stay until they got a large 

 number, the small quantity not paying at the low price thej^ 

 fetched. Of course, the first caught became bad, and were fit 

 for nothing but manure. After prices went up it paid to come 



