EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 343 



microscopic sections, the photographs of which, taken by Dr. J. H. Teacher, 

 have been made into a very valuable series of lantern slides. A finely 

 mounted set of these slides has been presented to the Station by the gentle- 

 men named, and by means of the lantern given by Mr. Paul Rottenburg, 

 of Glasgow, they can now be used for demonstration purposes. 



Mr. W. Wells Bladen has taken a specimen of the Fresh-water 

 Mussel (Dreissensia polymorpha) containing a very beautiful and perfect 

 pearl. This shell was found in a large colony of the species in the North 

 Staffordshire Canal, near Rugeley. The pearl attached to it is almost 

 spherical in shape, and has a small protuberance at one side ; it is 2 mm. 

 in diameter, and is very pure in colour. This is said to be the first 

 recorded instance of a pearl being found in this mollusc. The shell is 

 figured in the Ann. Rep. and Trans, of the " North Staffordshire Field 

 Club," 1899-1900, vol. xxxiv. 



At Stevens' Auction Rooms two more eggs of the Great Auk were 

 recently disposed of. One — an unrecorded egg — sold for three hundred 

 and fifteen guineas, and the other egg for one hundred and eighty guineas. 

 They were both bought by Mr. Gardner, of Oxford Street. 



The ' Banffshire Journal ' of June 5th last has published a letter 

 received from Mr. J. A. Harvie-Brown, relating to Elvers, Eels, and 

 Smolts. The following are extracts from same : — 



" It is certain Elvers are largely consumed by Brown Trout for a few 

 days. Soon after that, worm becomes the deadly bait. Why ? Well, 

 worm in low clear water, after the run of Elvers, becomes a necessary purge 

 to Trout after the Eel ' stodge.' At least, I believe this to be the case — 

 just as grass is an occasional vomit for a Dog. 



" If Elvers are largely consumed by Brown Trout, they are also largely 

 consumed by Sea-Trout, Grilse, and probably also by Smolts. What are 

 known among Sea-Trout as Finnocks, at the mouths of our East Coast 

 rivers in April, May, &c, are the Grilse of the Sea-Trout, which went down 

 the previous year as Smolts, which went up as Grilse or Sea-Trout, do not 

 breed, but attain a growth of up to, say, half a pound, or less, and come 

 down again along with the Smolts of the Salmon. Their time so far is 

 known to legislators, because fishing for Finnocks is prohibited whilst the 

 Salmon Smolts are descending— i. e. about 15th May. The baskets of 

 Sea-Trout and Finnock made in the spring months on the East Coast of 

 Scotland — at Ythan, Deveron, Findhorn, &c. — are either down-run Kelts 

 or unspawning Grilse of the Sea-Trout ; or rapidly-grown Smolts of the 



