History of the Local Names of Cape Fish. 215 
whether this fish was a trout, and it was suggested that it might 
be a cross between a springer and a trout, as it had not been 
observed till recently. 
Again as to their powers of observation, we find mention made in 
1649 of the occurrence of Herring in the waters of the Colony. 
More than two hundred years later no little excitement was caused 
in the Colony by the discovery of ‘true Herring” at Port Alfred. 
These fish are properly called Herring, and are a species peculiar 
to the Cape (Clupea ocellata), differing little from the Huropean 
Herring (Clupea harengus). As evidence of the slow progress or 
even retrogression of popular scientific knowledge we may note 
that they are now generally known as “ Sardyn,”’ and if further 
evidence is wanted we find that the Harder, or Mullet, is now not 
unfrequently called the Cape Herring. 
They are mentioned by Kolbe (1731) who tells us that ‘in the 
Cape seas there are shoals of Herring agreeing in every particular 
with the European Herring, and there is likewise about the Cape a 
sort of Herring the Cape Europeans call Harters.”’ This is 
inaccurate, but not so inaccurate as the present-day popular 
nomenclature. 
A few other names, obviously borrowed from European fish— 
though I have not been able to find any historical references—are 
the Hlf (Lenmodon. saltator), which somewhat resembles the Elit 
(Clupea alosa) of Holland, though the two are by no means scien- 
tifically related; the Gurnard, or Knorhaan (Trigla peronw), not 
unlike its Huropean representative (Trigla gurnardus) ; the Maas- 
banker, which is identical with the Maasbanker (Caranx trachwrus) 
of Holland, and indeed is to be found almost everywhere within the 
temperate and tropical zones of both hemispheres. The English 
name for this fish (Horse Mackerel) is seldom heard in the Colony. 
Like the emphatic word ‘“ Snoek”’ it has retained its place, and, like 
it, is also represented in the New World by a modified form, ‘‘ Moss- 
bonker.”’ It is otherwise with its kinsman the ‘“ Makreel,’’ which 
seems to be giving place to the English form ‘“ Mackerel.’”’ The 
Cape Mackerel (Scomber grex) is closely allied to the northern form 
(Scomber scomber), both belonging to a family of very wide distribu- 
tion. Another name obviously borrowed is that of the Cape Pijl 
Staart (Mylobatis aquila and Trygon pastinaca) from the fish of 
that name in Holland (Z'rygon pastinaca). The word Spiering, used 
in Holland as the popular name for Salmo eperlanus (the English 
Smelt) is also found in the Colony, and is applied to a fish some- 
what resembling it (Atherina breviceps), but quite different 
scientifically. It is also called Spieringtje at Hout Bay and 
