442 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



a fashion has this erstwhile prosperous trawling port now to 

 obtain enough deep-sea fishes for its inhabitants. In a public- 

 house hard by I saw a dried specimen of the Armed Gurnard 

 (Peristethus cataphr actum) . I could get no satisfactory evidence 

 as to whence this Mediterranean species came, but in all proba- 

 bility it had been taken off the Cornish coast. 



Saw a Lemon Sole (Solea lascaris), 10 in. in length, on a 

 fish- slab on May 2nd, and a Flounder weighing 1 lb. 4 oz. near 

 to it. 



Several fishes showing marked deformities have come to hand 

 during the year. A peculiarly stunted Sapphirine Gurnard or 

 Tub-fish {Trigla hirundo) was brought me by a fish-hawker on 

 May 22nd ; of a total length of 11 in., the head measured 3^ in. 

 I obtained a 13-inch Haddock very much humped, with a couple 

 of " rounds " on its back, that gave it a very Camel-like contour. 

 The vertebral had in two places coalesced, forming a couple of 

 knots the size of acorns. An 11-inch Codling, with a curious 

 bend at the posterior end, was taken off one of the piers on 

 Oct. 14th, and still another about a week after. 



Several Twait Shads (Cht/pea finta) about the size of a Herring 

 have been taken with the Herrings in the drift-nets during the 

 present fishing ; and I have reason to believe that a very fine 

 Salmon met with a like fate. I found the head of one washed 

 up on the beach in a particular locality that favours this sup- 

 position. 



An exceedingly large Fishing Frog or Angler (Lophius pisca- 

 torius) was brought in by a shrimper on May 25th. Observing 

 a group of men gathered around some object on the quay side, 

 I joined them. They ventured some marvellous opinions upon 

 the unwieldy thing, and, knowing my "propensities," expected 

 me to add to the discussion, which I did. I asked the shrimper 

 to overhaul the fish's "pockets." "Someone's been over 'em 

 a'ready ! " said he ; "but theer worn't nothin' in." I have known 

 five Soles to be turned out from the strange pouches the Angler 

 carries. The men did not know what to do with the soft flabby 

 monster, which weighed a good half-hundredweight. My sugges- 

 tion that they should eat it met with some doubtful shrugs of 

 the shoulders. Local shrimpers would as lief eat donkey-meat as 

 experiment on a strange fish. 



