535 



Miscellanea. 

 Short Sun-Fish (Orthagoriscus Mola). 



On Friday, October 25th, 1889, a huge fish was seen driving before an 

 E.N.E. gale towards the haven near the village of Craster, Northumberland. 

 At about 8 a.m., it collided with the rocks; being stunned, the fishermen 

 had little trouble in attaching a rope to its mouth, and with the assistance 

 of many hands, soon hauled it on shore. It was taken to Alnwick for 

 exhibition ; and was ascertained to be a Short Sun-Fish (Orthagoriscus 

 Mola). It is one of the largest on record on the East Coast ; its dimensions 

 being from nose to tail, 7 feet 9 inches, and 8 feet 6 inches from tip of 

 dorsal to tip of anal fins, and weight, 70 stones (8f cwt.) 



J. J. Horslet, Nov. 9, 1889. 



Another estimate makes it 7 feet in length, 8 feet from tip to tip of fins, 

 weight GO stones. It was afterwards conveyed to Newcastle for exhibition. 

 For other Notes of the occurrence of the Sun-Fish on the East Coast, see 

 Hist. Ber. Nat. Club (J. Hardy) vol. IV., p. 212, 1860. Sir Robert Sibbald 

 calls it the " Molebut." Mr Howse in his " Catalogue of the Fishes of the 

 Rivers and Coast of Northumberland and Durham, and the adjacent Sea," 

 Newcastle, 1890, p. 50, refers to its having been observed "off Whitley, 

 1863— W. ./• Forster. Cullercoats— Dr. Embleton, 1849. Redcar, 1882. 

 Craster, October, 1889. Lincolnshire Coast, October, 1889." J.H. 



Three-Bearded Rock Ling (Motella tricirrata). 



I first gave notice of this as a, fish of the Berwickshire coast, in the Hist, of 

 the Club, vol. vn., p. 470, from an example obtained by the Cove fishermen 

 in a crab-creel, on the coast between Siccar Point and Redheugh. Another 

 example was got by the same men, nearly on the same ground ; April 24th, 

 1879. This was sent to London (lb. vni., p. 532). Still more recently, 

 auother example from the same coast was sent to the Berwick Museum ; 

 but the true locality was not recorded, being attributed to Berwick. My 

 attention was recently called to this fish, by a visit to the Fishery Experi- 

 mental Station at Dunbar, May 6, 1890 ; where Dr. Beard had a very fine 

 specimen preserved in spirits, quite agreeing with the one I had described 

 in Hist, of Club, vol. vn., p. 470. In passing the house of a fisherman on 

 my way to the Station, he showed me a small example, not i of afoot long, 

 that had come ashore in that morning's fishing. It had undefined brown 

 mottling on it ; the belly being greyer than the general tint. At the 

 Experimental Station recently one had been sent from Berwick, and two 

 from intermediate ground, the Cove being mentioned. The following 

 notice appeared in the Berivick Advertiser of May 9, 1890. — 



" While Mr George Manuel and crew, fishermen, Greenses, were lifting 

 their crab-creels last week, about half a mile off Berwick, they found in one 

 of them, an uncommonly rare specimen of a fish, the name of which was 

 unknown to them. Mr Douall, fishery officer, having got possession of it, 



