Fishes. 3157 



The days and places of meeting were fixed as under : 



Bywell and Riding Mill —Friday, May 30. 



Durham and Finchale, — Friday, June 20. 



Allenheads, — July. 



Staward Peel,— Wednesday, August 20. 



Roker and Whitburn, — Friday, September 12. 



Corb ridge and Stagshaw, — Friday, October 3. — /. S. 



Occurrence of the Sturgeon in the Mersey. — A fine female sturgeon, measuring 7 

 feet 3 inches in length, and 2 feet 9 inches in girth, was captured in the river Mersey, 

 about two and a half miles below Warrington, on the 29th of last month. It is to be 

 placed in the town Museum, and has been beautifully preserved for that purpose by 

 Mr. J. Cooper, the Curator. She contained nearly a stable-bucketful of spawn, the 

 roe being about the size of No. 4 shot. — W. Fell ; Warrington, Fifth Mo. 8, 1851. 



Occurrence of the Smooth Dab (Platessa microcephalus) at Gamrie. — A very fine 

 example of this rather uncommon fish was caught off the fishing-station of Garden- 

 ston, in this parish, about a fortnight ago. It measured in length 22 inches, and in 

 its greatest breadth 13 inches, a size, I am given to understand, which it seldom at- 

 tains. The fishermemen here say they never met with a specimen of the same fish 

 before ; but as they were evidently disposed to pass it as a sole, until their attention 

 was pointed to the difference, their judgment in the case is not much to be relied on. 

 It is however here, no doubt, as elsewhere on the Scottish coast, of not very frequent 

 occurrence. — George Harris ; Gamrie, N. B., May 23, 1851. 



Note on the Lump Fish or Sucker, (Cyclopterus Lumpus, Linn.) — Dr. Parnell, 

 after observing that this fish is more abundant on the west than on the east coast, adds 

 that they "seek the sandy ground to deposit their spawn," (Fishes of the Forth, 382). 

 Upon this coast their nests are almost invariably to be met with in rocky places, a lit- 

 tle beyond low-water mark. There is also this peculiarity, that the sites of these are 

 usually cavities, from eight to ten inches in diameter, opening horizontally into the 

 water. Mr. West, of Pennan (Zool. 2998) informs me, that in one case he came upon 

 a hen seated on her nest, just, he supposed, as she had completed the process of spawn- 

 ing. She adhered very tenaciously, manifesting at the same time considerable intre- 

 pidity, which seemed to be shared by her companion the cock, who, during the struggle, 

 kept close by, flitting through and through the water in a state of violent agitation. 

 The quantity of spawn contained in a nest is very considerable. A mass was lately ta- 

 ken from a cavity which filled a capacity of seven pints imperial measure. It is known 

 that the lump is a favourite morsel with the seal ; but I have nowhere seen it stated 

 that previously to being disposed of for assimilation, the intended viand is carefully 

 divested of its somewhat repulsive looking covering, an operation which the seal ac- 

 complishes with considerable dexterity and neatness. This covering is frequently 

 floated in, and deposited on the shore by the tide, and, as usually seen, with the head 

 and tail attached to it: sometimes, however, the head is wanting. Judging from a 

 variety of specimens, the operation is commenced on the shoulder, and carried down- 

 wards to the tail, which is regularly chopped off and dismissed with the skin. On my 

 attention being first called to the above fact, I thought it possible that the cast-off skin 

 might be accounted for on the assumption that the seal effected his repast by excavat- 



