342 MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES AND OBSERVATIONS. 



it closely he was struck with the peculiar appearance of the head 

 of the fish, which looked as if it had two antennae projecting 

 from it. Having his gun with him he fired at the fish and dis- 

 abled it, and after some little trouble landed it. On examining 

 it he found that the peculiar appearance of the head was caused 

 by the Eel being in the act of swallowing a large Water Yole, 

 and that it had so far succeeded as to leave only the hind limbs 

 and tail sticking out of its mouth. The Eel was about two feet 

 four inches in length. — J. W. 



The Spinous Shark (Squalus spinosus, Blainv.). — An indivi- 

 dual of this species was taken in a salmon net, of! the mouth 

 of the Tyne, in the month of July, 1876. It was a female, 

 and measured about six feet in length. In its struggles to 

 get free it made sad havoc with the net; the spiny tubercles 

 cutting and tearing it to pieces. The formidable character of 

 the tubercles renders this fish a very dangerous customer to fall 

 in with, and it is perhaps well for fishermen that its habits keep 

 it in deep water, and near the bottom; though, from the few 

 specimens that have been obtained, but little is known about its 

 habits. About half a dozen specimens only are recorded as hav- 

 ing been got on the British coasts, and two of them are from 

 the mouth of the Tyne. One was obtained in 1869, and is now 

 in the Museum of the Natural History Society, and the other 

 the subject of this notice. — J. W. 



Rorqual. — About the middle of September, 1876, a large 

 Whale was found dead, floating in the sea, about twenty miles 

 to the N.E. of Coquet Island. It was taken in tow by a steamer 

 and brought into Shields Harbour, and there exhibited for a short 

 time. It was afterwards towed up the Tyne and moored be- 

 tween two keels opposite the Javel Group for exhibition. 



On the 26th of September I saw the huge animal ; it was 

 lying with the belly uppermost, and the peculiar plaits or folds 

 on the throat and breast, so characteristic of the Rorquals, were 

 thus easily seen. As much of the animal was below the water, 



