OPHIDIIDiE. 333 



capture, especially thoee of the Channel Island pattern, which have calico bunts 

 or bags, by which the launce is kept swimming until they are dipped up and 

 placed in the floating cases provided for keeping them alive " (W. Wilcocks). 



" 1 was surprised to see the Ammodytes shovelled out from shelly and gravelly 

 sand, to a depth of 2 feet, on the surface of which my weight hardly left a foot- 

 mark " (ThompsoD). They are most readily captured during frosts. Sir T. 

 Brown (1662) observed that smoulds were taken out of the sea-sands with forks 

 and rakes, about Blakeney and Bumham : a small, round, slender fish about 3 or 

 4 inches long, as big as a small tobacco pipe : a very dainty dish. 



Breeding^ — Various accounts have been given at what period of the year this 

 takes place, I have personally found at St. Ives examples of the small sand-eel 

 with milt and roe very forward in the months of August and September. 

 Thompson found some ready to deposit their spawn in Ireland at the end of July, 

 but he remarks that in places they do so during the winter. Couch considered 

 the end of December the most common period : so probably they continue spawning 

 through the last few months of the year, dependant on the temperature, becoming 

 very poor in winter after breeding. Their eggs are deposited in the loose sand. 



Diseases, 8fc. — In July, 1881, the sea-shore between Burntisland and the East 

 Neuk of Fife on the Fife side was ^ literally strewn with dead sand-eels for several 

 days. The cause was attributed to chemical agencies that flow directly into the 

 Forth from the works along its margin. 



Uses. — A capital bait, and much prized by sea-fowls. Couch remarks that 

 he had been informed that if mackerel are found to be after this species of launce 

 a more successful fishing is anticipated than if they are pursuing the larger sand- 

 eels. It is said by Lloyd to be most difficult to keep alive in an aquarium. 

 One summer at Hamburg he received twenty brought alive during a ten hours' 

 voyage in a 10 gallon vessel of water. The creatures took an impetuous rush and 

 a wriggle through the tank and turned up dead, some almost instantly and some 

 a little later, with the exception of one which lived thirty-six hours. Subsequently 

 he saw two living examples in a tank about 4 feet long and 18 inches deep, 

 containing about 4 inches of sand at the bottom, but no other occupants, and the 

 whole kept in a cellar. 



As food. — Excellent eating, especially while in roe, but in winter after 

 spawning it becomes thin. 



Habitat. — Northern shores of Europe and occasionally a few may stray into 

 the Mediterranean. 



Orkneys in vast quantities (Low), and common in Zetland (W. Baikie) : Edward 

 recorded taking his first six examples from four to five inches in length at BanfiT 

 in March 1863 ; since then he has captured several, but always during the winter 

 months, save one in the summer (Zool. p. 8495) : Aberdeen (Sim) : abundant, 

 and used as bait in the Moray Piitli : St. Andrew's occasional (Mcintosh) : Firth 

 of Forth plentiful during the summer months, especially on the sands above 

 Queensferry, where the large sand-eel is never found. At Musselburgh and 

 Portobello the two species inhabit the same locality (Parnell). Yorkshire 

 resident and abundant (Yorkshire Vertebrata) : Norfolk Estuary (Lowe), in 

 short, very common along the shores of Scotland and the E., W"., and S. coasts of 

 England. On the S. coast of Devon it is common and used as food from May 

 until October (Farfitt) : abundant ofi some sandy bays in Cornwall, especially 

 St. Ives : Guernsey. I have taken it at Weston-super-Mare in Somersetshire. 

 In Ireland common round the coast. 



The example figured life size was a male. The largest I have taken has been 

 7 inches in length. 



3. Ammodytes cicerellus, Plate XCII, fig. 3. 



Cicerell'us messaniensis, P. Boccone, Research, et obs. Nat. 1674, p. 294, o. fig. 

 p 287. 



Ammodytes cictrellus, Eafin. Caratt. p. 21, sp. 52, pi. ix, f. 4 ; Kroyer, Dan. 

 Fiske, iii, p. 589 ; Moreau, Poiss. France, iii, p. 219. 



