FISH-NOTES FROM GREAT YARMOUTH. 7 



The Bumraer Mackerel-iisliing was a poor one. Miickerel 

 were scarce and dear. A 'longshore boat in May made one catch, 

 numbering 2500 fish, that reaUsed £20. The spring Herring 

 fishing was not of much account, no drifters going to sea ; only 

 a few 'longshore boats ventured out and made small catches. 

 The Herrings-, small and tasty, sold as bloaters as high as 

 threepence each, a hitherto unheard-of price. 



On Jane 28th I received a note from Mr. R. Beazor, saying : 

 " I have got a fine albino Brill and a hybrid Brill and Butt 

 [Turbot] (one of two that I had) if you would like to see them. 

 'German caught.' — Yours, etc., ." 



It would appear that a British submarine had captured a 

 German smack "somewhere in the North Sea," and our tars, 

 for some reason which I am not quite sure of, made the vessel 

 tow our own undersea craft into port (!). The catch of fish, which 

 included some fine Turbots and a number of particularly good- 

 conditioned Haddocks (probably taken well to the eastward) 

 realised £100 on the fish wharf. I saw among the catch two 

 hybrid Turbot-Brill, weighing, perhaps, 3^ to 4 lb. each. One 

 fish was Turbot-shaped, with the almost normal upper Turbot 

 colouring ; a few splashy white spots, and an immense number 

 of small, blunt, ill-defined knobs (answering somewhat to the 

 spiny excrescences on the skin of a normal Turbot) were 

 sprinkled over the upper surface. These numbered, in fact, six, 

 times the usual quantity found on the true Turbot. The under 

 surface was white, but curiously freckled with lozenge-shaped 

 " impressions." 



The other fish was practically an albino. Almost the entire 

 upper surface was white, smooth, and glassy to the touch. A. 

 few tiny dots of brown, and one blotch the size of a half-crown, 

 only broke the uniform whiteness, and a small figure-8-shaped 

 patch of grey formed a curious setting for the eyes. The dorsal 

 fin started abruptly some inches behind the head ; but on the 

 head itself, just behind the eyes, a tuft of fin-rays, like a rough 

 small paint-brush, made a grotesque suggestion of eyebrows (!). 



July 1-ith. — Note : " Some of the shrimpers are getting nice 

 lots of Soles. At Sheringham the fishermen are catching 

 quantities, using lugworm as bait." 



I had sent me on June 25th a small fish from Wendling, near 



