MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES AND OBSERVATIONS. 341 



lashing on the rocks when the fish was captured. The lateral 

 line begins just above the eye ; it then turns down towards the 

 ventral border, which it approaches very closely, and is continued 

 on to the tail. The vent is situated nearly six feet from the end 

 of the snout. 



The eye is about one inch and a half in diameter, of a silvery 

 colour ; the pupil, which is half an inch in diameter, being black. 



The mouth appears capable of being much protruded, and 

 there are no teeth in the jaws. The skin is of a silvery lead co- 

 lour, much like a piece of lead newly cut. There are a few 

 black bands crossing the sides and inclining from before back- 

 wards ; these bands quickly disappeared, and after a day or two 

 could scarcely be seen. The dorsal and ventral fins are red. 



There are a few ridges running along the sides, being most 

 prominent towards the middle, and when the fish is fresh give 

 rather an angular appearance to it. 



There are no scales, but the skin is covered with small bony 

 points. 



The silvery matter covering the fish, on being examined with 

 the microscope, is found to consist of granular matter in which 

 minute crystalline bodies are embedded, though I failed to see 

 the scale-like bodies mentioned by Mr. Albany Hancock and 

 Dr. Embleton in their account of the fish captured off Culler- 

 coats in March, 1849, and published in the first volume of the 

 Transactions of the Tyneside Naturalists' Field Club. 



The general characters of the specimen just described agree in 

 every particular with that described by Messrs. Hancock and 

 Embleton, and also corroborate their view that the ventral fins 

 were originally much longer in the specimen they examined than 

 was stated by the fishermen. — J. W. 



On the Voracity of the Eel. — The following account of the vo- 

 racity of the Eel was given me by Mr. John Laws, who received 

 the specimen from Mr. George LongstafTe, of Eshot, near Felton. 



The latter gentleman, whilst walking by the side of Thirston 

 Burn, on May 27th, 1875, had his attention drawn to a large 

 Eel, which seemed to be somewhat in difficulty. On looking at 



