

NOTES AND QUERIES. 231 



distance to the bottom is very great " (Day), it must have been very much 

 out of place in the sandy shallows fished by our shrimpers. — T. Southwell 

 (Norwich). 



Lumpsucker at Penzance. — A specimen of the male or Eed Lump- 

 sucker, Cyclopterus lumpus, was caught close to the pier-head here, in a 

 trammel, on May 2nd. The late Mr. T. Cornish considered it a rare 

 species on this coast, having seen only one specimen in thirty-four years. 

 The Blue form, or female, is not so uncommon. I saw a specimen, caught 

 in deep water near the Wolf Rock, on February 26th last. — John B. 

 Cornish (Penzance). 



MOLLUSCA. 



English Oysters for South Africa.— From a report to hand in the 

 1 Cape Times ' it appears that active steps have been taken to introduce 

 English oysters to these shores, a consignment of some 2000 Whitstables 

 having been brought out in the ' Norham Castle.' These have been placed 

 at the mouth of the Swartkops River, Algoa Bay; Mr. Weatherly, the 

 Cape Government fishery expert, has been detailed to watch the progress 

 of the experiment, and so far all goes well. There is, however, still a great 

 deal to be done and learned before satisfactory progress can be made 

 towards the establishment of oyster-culture as a bond fide industry, able to 

 pay its way. Even though all the rocks and rocky points of the Zwartkops 

 River abound in the native South African oyster, it was not at the 

 commencement of the experiment known at what time of the year the 

 native oyster spawned. This, however, has now been decided, for the 

 whole of January the oysters were spawning, and it was quite easy to gain 

 the spawn for microscopic examination. About 800 of the Whitstable 

 oysters arrived alive after their long journey, and these were placed in the 

 water in trays and closely watched. No syndicate is likely to spend money 

 in the development of an industry that will become a valuable property, 

 without ample protection, and this it is now endeavoured to secure. 

 Application has been made for a protection right over the whole of the 

 river-mouth, not, it is carefully explained, that the whole will ever be 

 required, or that it will ever be necessary to use all this, but since the work 

 is at present experimental, it is thought advisable to have as wide a 

 protection as possible, so that the place may be taken where it is found that 

 the work can be best carried on. There is, however, very little doubt that 

 the selected area for the oyster-beds will be a strip of the rocky north 

 bank extending from the mouth for a quarter of a mile up the river. The 

 actual oyster-beds will be no impediment to rowing or sailing anywhere 

 over the surface of the water, and if ever the largest possible success 

 attends the scheme, and the banks should be conserved for three-quarters 

 of a mile, there will be still over ten miles of the better parts of the river 

 fishable. 



