1822 Fishes. 



there were some young- tadpoles, toads were croaking about, and were to be seen in 

 plenty in their usual galvanic postures at the bottom of the little river ; if my memory 

 does not fail me, I also found some of their necklace-like spawn. I fished up, perhaps, 

 nearly a dozen frogs in a landing-net, of various ages, and also some warty newts, in 

 the pools, but alas! nothing at all eatable ! And on both occasions I trudged back to 

 Trinity in utter disappointment, and undined. My good old friend Tom Rawlinson 

 was with me the second time, with cans, nets, &c, and he rather relieved the mono- 

 tony of the journey home, by showing me the bank of an orchard on which the great 

 white snail abounded, which, as he informed me, with eyes wide open, he had seen 

 either gipsies or Italians, I forget which, eat. Tom is knowing in such matters, he is 

 " Tom the pieman " of all the " feasts " many miles round Cambridge: — an old soldier, 

 a reformed drunkard, a teetotaller, an affectionate father, a simple-hearted fellow, a 

 collector of insects, eggs, fossils, and everything else, and a protege of " Perfesser 

 Sedgwick." His personal appearance I should spoil by description, — I liked Old 

 Tom ! But to return to the snails, the Helix Pomatia of some nomenclature, they 

 are, if I mistake not, believed by conchologists to have been originally introduced 

 from the continent, perhaps by Roman monks ; may not the frogs have been intro- 

 duced to eat with them by the same Italians ? Or may not gipsies or organ boys have 

 brought them over more recently ? Or in very modern times may not some have ac- 

 cidentally escaped from confinement, or been intentionally turned out by naturalists ? 

 Do I not remember an account of a large number of them being in the possession of 

 Mr. Gray, of the British Museum, and may not some of these have strayed into Cam- 

 bridgeshire ? I am only imagining possibilities, but possibilities which seem to my- 

 self more probable than that the edible frog should be a native of Britain, and yet 

 confined to Foulmire. It is a matter of some interest in the consideration of the geo- 

 graphical distribution of reptiles. 



It is much to be regretted that Foulmire, as I hear from Mr. Bond, is drained ! 

 But he tells me he expects the frogs will disperse, and not become extinct. As he 

 informs us that the frogs of Foulmire are well known, and have a name given them 

 in the neighbourhood, it would be very interesting if he, or some one at Cambridge, 

 would make inquiries as to whether there is any tradition of their first appearance at 

 Foulmire.—/. Wolley ; May 3rd, 1847. 



Notes on the Fishes in the District of the Land's End. 

 By R. Q. Couch, M.R.C.S.L., &c. 



Continued from page 1714. 



Common Cod, Morrhua vulgaris. Common on all parts of the 

 coast, especially on sandy banks, and the rough ground in sheltered 

 bays. This fish is very voracious, and not at all particular in the 

 quality or character of its food. It constantly feeds on Crustacea, 

 and is perhaps fonder of it than of any other, but any dead animal 

 matter is greedily devoured. They feed near or on the ground, and 



