152 NETHER LOCHABER. 



in eating his potatoes and fish al fresco he discards the use of 

 knife and fork xitterly, eating his fish with his fingers, and using 

 the running brooli beside him as a convenient finger-glass. 



There is a lull at present in our herring fishing, rather because, 

 however, of the paramount claims of harvest operations on the 

 attention of our people just now, than from any dearth of the fish 

 in our lochs. In a week or ten days, when all or most of the corn 

 has been cut, the fishing will be resumed, and it is hoped with 

 success. In an old Fingalian tale it is very beautifully said — 

 " Eejoice, my son, in the gifts of the sea ; for they enrich you 

 without making any one else the poorer." A rather rare fish in oiu: 

 western waters was caught a few days ago by our excellent neigh- 

 bour, J. P. Grant, Esq., who occupies Cuilchenna House this 

 season. Mr. Grant was good enough to send this odd fish for our 

 inspection, and we determined it to be a species oi plaice (Flatessa) 

 — and the handsomest of the family — the Platessa gemmatus of 

 ichthyologists, commonly called the diamond or diamond-spotted 

 plaice. This very handsome fish is quite as good on the table as it 

 is beautiful when fresh from its native element. Another fish, rare 

 on the west coast, was captured by ourselves with the rod while 

 mackerel fishing last week. It was a specimen of the sapphirine 

 gurnard {Trigla hirundo), one of the family of "hard-cheeked" fishes, 

 of which the common red or cuckoo gurnard {Triijla cxiculns) is 

 a familiar example. A peculiarity in all the family is the abnormal 

 development of the pectoral fins, so large in one species as to enable 

 it to fly bird-like for short distances in the air. All our readers 

 must have heard and read of the flying-fish {Trigla voUfans), even 

 if they have never seen it. It is of the gurnard family — a very near 

 relation, indeed, of our common gurnard. All the " hard-cheeked" 

 fishes, without exception, are excellent eating. Our sapphirine 

 gurnard was delicious. 



We do not know whether any of our readers has observed it 



