3120 Annelides, fyc. 



scarcely exceeding 80 lbs., with a total length of seven feet. It presented a fruitful 

 source of speculation to our people, scarcely one of whom had seen such a thing he- 

 fore ; indeed, the only instance of a previous capture in our neighbourhood, so far as 

 I can learn, being eleven or twelve years ago, when a small one, about two and a half 

 feet long, was taken in a net. — Warner Varnham ; Bembridge, Isle of Wight, April 

 7, 1851. 



Anecdote of a Pike. — In a former number (Zool. 2991) there is a note of a novel 

 encounter between a pike and a goose, which reminds me of a similar one of which I 

 was an eyewitness. On the 16th of August, 1850, a person and myself were down in 

 some fields by the Trent, when we heard a loud noise as of a wild bird in distress. 

 Hastening to the river-side, we soon perceived from what it emanated, and beheld a 

 moor-hen struggling violently on the surface of the water, at perhaps forty yards dis- 

 tance. The cries of the poor bird were pitiful in the extreme ; for it was evident that 

 some animal in the water had got hold of its feet, and was trying to drag it under. A 

 desperate struggle now ensued. The bird flapped its wings and tried to escape ; the 

 enemy as firmly kept its hold. Gradually the bird kept sinking lower in the water; 

 the breast disappeared from view, and then the wings ; its cries grew weaker and 

 weaker ; the head went down, and then all was still. What animal it was, whether 

 quadruped or fish, that accomplished this curious feat, I could not tell. An otter, I 

 think, it could not have been, as they are very rare here, and no individual has been 

 seen that I am aware of. I can only attribute the theft to a pike ; for one of large 

 dimensions was known to frequent the place. If such was the case, it was a curious 

 example of the voracity of this fish. — John Joseph Briggs ; Kings Newton, Melbourne, 

 Derbyshire. 



Occurrence of the Crested Blenny (Blennius palmicornis, Yarrell) at Portland. — 

 On the 27th of February last, I obtained at Portland a specimen of Blennius palmi- 

 cornis of Yarrell. I got it from a lobster-pot ; it was two and a half inches in length. 

 On the 7th of April, 1850, I obtained a specimen, measuring five inches, thrown up 

 on the Chesil Beach. It was unfortunately so much damaged that I could not pre- 

 serve it. — William Thompson ; Weymouth.. 



Earth-worms and Grubs. — In Mr. Hussey's note on the destruction of earth-worms 

 by grubs (Zool. 3059), that gentleman expresses a hope that other observers may con- 

 firm his statement, which I am happy in being able to do in one instance. In the 

 summer of 1849, I was descending a mountain near Lake Windermere, in the middle 

 of the day, under a very hot sun, when I saw an earth-worm, of the largest size, vio- 

 lently but vainly struggling to escape from a powerful grub, about an inch long, which 

 had fastened its jaws into the worm. My inspection of the combat being rather a close 

 one, appeared to cause the grub to relinquish tbe attack, which I have no doubt would 

 have otherwise proved fatal to the worm. — J. II. Gurney ; Easton, March 4, 1851. 



Land and Fresh-water Mollusca found in the Neighbourhood of Fulham. — Think- 

 ing that a list of the various species of land and fresh-water shells found by me in the 

 neighbourhood of Fulham might not be unacceptable to some of your readers, I have 



